the less sink a little on feeling how much his view
of her was destined to have in common with as she
now sighed over it the view. She could have
dreamed of his not having the view, of his having
something or other, if need be quite viewless, of his
own; but he might have what he could with least
trouble, and the view wouldn't be, after all, a positive
bar to her seeing him. The defect of it in general
if she might so ungraciously criticise was that, by
its sweet universality, it made relations rather pro
saically a matter of course. It anticipated and su
perseded the likewise sweet operation of real
affinities. It was this that was doubtless marked in
her power to keep him now this and her glassy lus
tre of attention to his pleasantness about the scenery
in the Rockies. She was in truth a little measuring
her success in detaining him by Kate's success in
"standing" Susan. It would not be, if she could
help it, Mr. Densher who should first break down.
Such at least was one of the forms of the girl's in
ward tension; but beneath even this deep reason was
a motive still finer. What she had left at home on
going out to give it a chance was meanwhile still,
was more sharply and actively, there. What had
been at the top of her mind about it and then been
violently pushed down this quantity was again
working up. As soon as their friends should go
Susie would break out, and what she would break
out upon wouldn't be interested in that gentleman
as she had more than once shown herself the per-

[[328]]

p327 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p328w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p329

v?