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it she yet blinked neither with doubt nor with acceptance; she only said imperturbably: ā€œYes, sheā€™ll herself do anything for her friend; so that she but preaches what she practises.ā€

Densher really quite wondered if Aunt Maud knew how far Kateā€™s devotion went. He was moreover a little puzzled by this special harmony; in face of which he quickly asked himself if Mrs. Lowder had bethought herself of the American girl as a distraction for him, and if Kateā€™s mastery of the subject were therefore but an appearance addressed to her aunt. What might really become in all this of the American girl was therefore a question that, on the latter contingency, would lose none of its sharpness. However, questions could wait, and it was easy, so far as he understood, to meet Mrs. Lowder. ā€œIt isnā€™t a bit, all the same, you know, that I resist. I find Miss Theale charming.ā€

Well, it was all she wanted. ā€œThen donā€™t miss a chance.ā€

ā€œThe only thing is,ā€ he went on, ā€œthat sheā€™sā ā€”naturally nowā ā€”leaving town and, as I take it, going abroad.ā€

Aunt Maud looked indeed an instant as if she herself had been dealing with this difficulty. ā€œShe wonā€™t go,ā€ she smiled in spite of it, ā€œtill she has seen you. Moreover, when she does goā ā€”ā€ She paused, leaving him uncertain. But the next minute he was still more at sea. ā€œWe shall go too.ā€

He gave a smile that he himself took for slightly strange. ā€œAnd what good will that do me?ā€

ā€œWe shall be near them somewhere, and youā€™ll come out to us.ā€

ā€œOh!ā€ he said a little awkwardly.

ā€œIā€™ll see that you do. I mean Iā€™ll write to you.ā€

ā€œAh thank you, thank you!ā€ Merton Densher laughed. She was indeed putting him on his honour, and his honour winced a little at the use he rather helplessly saw himself suffering her to believe she could make of it. ā€œThere are all sorts of things,ā€ he vaguely remarked, ā€œto consider.ā€

ā€œNo doubt. But thereā€™s above all the great thing.ā€

ā€œAnd pray whatā€™s that?ā€

ā€œWhy the importance of your not losing the occasion of your life. Iā€™m treating you handsomely, Iā€™m looking after it for you. I canā ā€”I can smooth your path. Sheā€™s charming, sheā€™s clever and sheā€™s good. And her fortuneā€™s a real fortune.ā€

Ah there she was, Aunt Maud! The pieces fell together for him as he felt her thus buying him off, and buying himā ā€”it would have been funny if it hadnā€™t been so graveā ā€”with Miss Thealeā€™s money. He ventured, derisive, fairly to treat it as extravagant. ā€œIā€™m much obliged to you for the handsome offerā ā€”ā€

ā€œOf what doesnā€™t belong to me?ā€ She wasnā€™t abashed. ā€œI donā€™t say it doesā ā€”but thereā€™s no reason it shouldnā€™t to you. Mind you, moreoverā€ā ā€”she kept it upā ā€”ā€œIā€™m not one who talks in the air. And you owe me somethingā ā€”if you want to know why.ā€

Distinct he felt her pressure; he felt, given her basis, her consistency; he even felt, to a degree that was immediately to receive an odd confirmation, her truth. Her truth, for that matter, was that she believed him bribeable: a belief that for his own mind as well, while they stood there, lighted up the impossible. What then in this light did Kate believe him? But that wasnā€™t what he asked aloud. ā€œOf course I know I owe you thanks for a deal of kind treatment. Your inviting me for instance tonightā ā€”!ā€

ā€œYes, my inviting you tonightā€™s a part of it. But you donā€™t know,ā€ she added, ā€œhow far Iā€™ve gone for you.ā€

He felt himself red and as if his honour were colouring up; but he laughed again as he could. ā€œI see how far youā€™re going.ā€

ā€œIā€™m the most honest woman in the world, but Iā€™ve nevertheless done for you what was necessary.ā€ And then as her now quite sombre gravity only made him stare: ā€œTo start you it was necessary. From me it has the weight.ā€ He but continued to stare, and she met his blankness with surprise. ā€œDonā€™t you understand me? Iā€™ve told the proper lie for you.ā€ Still he only showed her his flushed strained smile; in spite of which, speaking with force and as if he must with a minuteā€™s reflection see what she meant, she turned away from him. ā€œI depend upon you now to make me right!ā€

The minuteā€™s reflection he was of course more free to take after he had left the house. He walked up the Bayswater Road, but he stopped short, under the murky stars, before the modern church, in the middle of the square that, going eastward, opened out on his left. He had had his brief stupidity, but now he understood. She had guaranteed to Milly Theale through Mrs. Stringham that Kate didnā€™t care for him. She had affirmed through the same source that the attachment was only his. He made it out, he made it out, and he could see what she meant by its starting him. She had described Kate as merely compassionate, so that Milly might be compassionate too. ā€œProperā€ indeed it was, her lieā ā€”the very properest possible and the most deeply, richly diplomatic. So Milly was successfully deceived.

V

To see her alone, the poor girl, he none the less promptly felt, was to see her after all very much on the old basis, the basis of his three visits in New York; the new element, when once he was again face to face with her, not really amounting to much more than a recognition, with a little surprise, of the positive extent of the old basis. Everything but that, everything embarrassing fell away after he had been present five minutes: it was in fact wonderful that their excellent, their pleasant, their permitted and proper and harmless American relationā ā€”the legitimacy of which he could thus scarce express in names enoughā ā€”should seem so unperturbed by other matters. They had both since then had great adventuresā ā€”such an adventure for him was his mental annexation of her country; and it was now, for the moment, as if the greatest of them all

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