Page:The Portrait of a Lady (1882).djvu/237

229 THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY. 229 sensibility had governed him possibly governed him too much; it had made him impatient of vulgar troubles and had led him to live by himself, in a serene, impersonal way, thinking about art and beauty and history. He had consulted his taste in everything his taste alone, perhaps ; that was what made him so different from every one else. Ralph had something of this same quality, this appearance of thinking that life was a matter of connoisseurship ; but in Ralph it was an anomaly, a kind of humorous excrescence, whereas in Mr. Osmond it was the key-note, and everything was in harmony with it. Isabel was certainly far from understanding him completely ; his meaning was not at all times obvious. It was hard to see what he meant, for instance, by saying that he was gloriously provincial which was so exactly the opposite of what she had supposed. Was it a harmless paradox, intended to puzzle her 1 or was it the last refinement of high culture 3 Isabel trusted that she should learn in time ; it would be very interesting to learn. If Mr., Osmond were provincial, pray what were the characteristics of ttte capital 1 Isabel could ask herself this question, in spite of having perceived that her host was a shy personage ; for such shyness as his the shyness of ticklish nerves and fine perceptions was perfectly consistent with the best breeding. Indeed, it was almost a proof of superior qualities. Mr. Osmond was not a man of easy assurance, who chatted and gossiped with the fluency of a superficial nature ; he was critical of himself as well as of others, and exacting a good deal of others (to think them agree- able), he probably took a rather ironical view of what he himself offered: a proof, into the bargain, that he was not grossly con- ceited. If he had not been shy, he would not have made that gradual, subtle, successful effort to overcome his shyness, to which Isa.bel felt that she owed both what pleased and what puzzled her in his conversation to-day. He suddenly asked her what she thought of the Countess of Gemini that was doubtless a proof that he was interested in her feelings ; it could scarcely be as a help to knowledge of his own sister. That he should be so interested showed an inquiring mind ; but it was a little singu- lar that he should sacrifice his fraternal feeling to his curiosity. This was the most eccentric thing he had done. There were two other rooms, beyond the one in which she had been received, equally full of picturesque objects, and in these Apartments Isabel spent a quarter of an hour. Every thing was very curious and valuable, and Mr. Osmond continued to be the kindest of ciceroni, as he led her from one fine piece to another, still holding his little girl by the hand. His kind