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289 THE PORTKAIT OF A LADY. 289 plainness, and no appearance of trying to make an epigram. "What has he ever done 1 ?" he added, abruptly. " That I should marry him 1 Nothing at all," Isabel replied? with a smile that had gradually become a trifle defiant. " If he had done great things would you forgive me any better ? Give . me up, Mr. Goodwood ; I am marrying a nonentity. Don't try to take an interest in him ; you can't." " I can't appreciate him ; that's what you mean. And you don't mean in the least that he is a nonentity. You think he is' a great man, though no one else thinks so." Isabel's colour deepened ; she thought this very clever of her companion, and it was certainly a proof of the clairvoyance of such a feeling as his. " Why do you always come back to what others think 1 I can't discuss Mr. Osmond with you." " Of course not," said Caspar, reasonably. And he sat there with his air of stiff helplessness, as if not only this were true, but there were nothing else that they might discuss. " You see how little you gain,'k Isabel broke out " how little comfort or satisfaction I can give you." " I didn't expect you to give me much.'* " I don't understand, then, why you came." " I came because I wanted to see you once more as you are." f ' I appreciate that ; but if you had waited a while, sooner or later we should have been sure to meet, and our meeting would have been pleasanter for each of us than this." " Waited till after you are married 1 That is just what I didn't want to do. You will be different then." " Not very. I shall still be a great friend of yours. You will see." " That will make it all the worse," said Mr. Goodwood, grimly. " Ah, you are unaccommodating ! I can't promise to dislike you, in order to help you to resign yourself." " I shouldn't care if you did ! " Isabel got up, with^a movement of repressed impatience, and walked to the window, where she remained a moment, looking out. When she turned round, her visitor was still motionless in his place. She came towards him again and stopped, resting her hand on the back of the chair she had just quitted. " Do you mean you came simply to look at me 1 That's better for you, perhaps, than for me." " I wished to hear the sound of your voice," said Caspar. " You have heard it, and you % see it says nothing very sweet." u