 of
violence in the change - it was all harmony and reason. It gave him a mild deep
person, whereas he had had on the occasion to which their interview was a direct
reference a person committed to movement and surface and abounding in them; but
she was in either character more remarkable for nothing than for her bridging of
intervals, and this now fell in with what he understood he was to leave to her.
The only thing was that, if he was to leave it all to her, why exactly had she
sent for him? He had had, vaguely, in advance, his explanation, his view of the
probability of her wishing to set something right, to deal in some way with the
fraud so lately practised on his presumed credulity. Would she attempt to carry
it further or would she blot it out? Would she throw over it some more or less
happy colour; or would she do nothing about it at all? He perceived soon enough
at least that, however reasonable she might be, she wasn't vulgarly confused,
and it herewith pressed upon him that their eminent lie, Chad's and hers, was
simply after all such an inevitable tribute to good taste as he couldn't have
wished them not to render. Away from them, during his vigil, he had seemed to
wince at the amount of comedy involved; whereas in his present posture he could
only ask himself how he should enjoy any attempt from her to take the comedy
back. He shouldn't enjoy it at all; but, once more and yet once more, he could
trust her. That is he could trust her to make deception right. As she presented
things the ugliness - goodness knew why - went out of them; none the less too
that she could present them, with an art of her own, by not so much as touching
them. She let the matter, at all events, lie where it was - where the previous
twenty-four hours had placed it; appearing merely to circle about it
respectfully, tenderly, almost piously, while she took up another question.
    She knew she hadn't really thrown dust in his eyes; this, the previous
night, before they separated, had practically passed between them; and, as she
had sent for him to see what the difference thus made for him might amount to,
so he was conscious at the end of five minutes that he had been tried and
tested. She had settled with Chad after he left them that she would, for her
satisfaction, assure herself of this quantity, and Chad
