"Men don't suffer as we do, my dear." She gave a half-suppressed sigh. "At all events, it is never any use interfering in these matters."
"Certainly. If both are bent on this, I would be the last to interfere. But if I thought the girl was leading him on to propose, in order that she may refuse him, I would do all I could, with my aunt's help—she has immense influence with Mordaunt—to save him from a will-o'-the-wisp dance half over America."
"If I understand Clare—which I don't feel certain I do—she will never be the slave of her senses. Flirtation does not affect her in that way; she will never be precipitated into an engagement. She is capable of strong attachment, but that is a plant of slow growth. She is genuinely attached to her father. If she marries an Englishman, she will never consent to be as much separated from her parents and her country as so many American women are."
"I am glad of that. Though I confess I think Mrs. Planter a bore, I shouldn't wish her daughter to think so. If you are right, the girl has a great deal of character, and though I see her faults—which are partly those of training and association—I believe her good qualities would preponderate with me in the long run."
"I think they would. She has a rare power—rare even for an American—of adapting herself to the country, the people, the circumstances, which surround her. If she were stuck down in a ranch in Texas, without a 'help,' I believe she would make the beds and cook the dinner as well as any one—"
"Splendid!" cried Grace, enthusiastically. "I thought her adaptability might be limited to catching the tone of society. I am glad it has a wider range. I begin to hope now that our parting on Thursday may not be final."
"But you are not going on Thursday? You stay on with me, I hope, and meet your brother in Boston, when he brings your aunt there."
"Thank you so much, but I have written to Mrs. Barham, to ask if she likes to receive me for a day or two."
Mrs. Courtly opened her eyes. "I suppose you know it is only a very small rectory? I hope you will be comfortable."
"Oh! I am not afraid of that."