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140 140 THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY. steps himself. Isabel's words, if they had been meant to shock him, failed of the mark, and only made him smile with the sense that here was common ground. " Who would wish less to curtail your liberty than I?" he asked. "What can give me greater pleasure than to see you perfectly independent doing whatever you like 1 It is to make you independent that I want to marry you." " That's a beautiful sophism," said the girl, with a smile more beautiful still. " An unmarried woman a girl of your age is not inde- pendent. There are all sorts of things she can't do. She is hampered at every step." " That's as she looks at the question," Isabel answered, with much spirit. " I am not in my first youth I can do what I choose I belong quite to the independent class. I have neither father nor mother ; I am poor ; 1 am of a serious disposition, and not pretty. I therefore am not bound to be timid and conventional ; indeed I can't afford such luxuries. Besides/ 1 try to judge things for myself; to judge wrong, 1 think, is more honourable than not to judge at all. I don't wish to be a mere sheep in the flock ; I wish to choose my fate and know some- thing of human affairs beyond what other people think it com- patible with propriety to tell me." She paused a moment, but not long enough for her companion to reply. He was apparently on the point of doing so, when she went on " Let me say this to you, Mr. Goodwood. You are so kind as to speak of being afraid of my marrying. If you should hear a rumour that I am on the point of doing so girls are liable to have such things said about them remember what I have told you about my love of liberty, and venturfe to doubt it." There was something almost passionately positive in the tone in which Isabel gave him this advice, and he saw a shining candour in her eyes which helped him to believe her. On the whole he felt reassured, and you might have perceived it by the manner in which he said, quite eagerly " You want simply to travel for two years ? I am quite willing to wait two years, and you may do what you like in the interval. If that is all you want, pray say so. I don't want you to be conventional ; do I strike you: as conventional myself 1 ? Do you want to improve your mind 1 Your iuind is quite good enough for me ; .but if it interests you to wander about a while and see different countries, I shall be delighted to help you, in any way in my power." " You are very generous ; that is nothing new to me. The