content. And in fact when she showed herself astonished and
distressed that all Daniel's wonderful talents, and the comfort of
having him in the house, should have ended in his going mad in this way
about the Jews, the baronet could say--

"Oh, nonsense, my dear! depend upon it, Dan will not make a fool of
himself. He has large notions about Judaism--political views which you
can't understand. No fear but Dan will keep himself head uppermost."

But with regard to the prospective marriage she afforded him no
counter-irritant. The gentle lady observed, without rancor, that she
had little dreamed of what was coming when she had Mirah to sing at her
musical party and give lessons to Amabel. After some hesitation,
indeed, she confessed it _had_ passed through her mind that after a
proper time Daniel might marry Mrs. Grandcourt--because it seemed so
remarkable that he should be at Genoa just at that time--and although
she herself was not fond of widows she could not help thinking that
such a marriage would have been better than his going altogether with
the Jews. But Sir Hugo was so strongly of the same opinion that he
could not correct it as a feminine mistake; and his ill-humor at the
disproof of his disagreeable conclusions on behalf of Gwendolen was
left without vent. He desired Lady Mallinger not to breathe a word
about the affair till further notice, saying to himself, "If it is an
unkind cut to the poor thing (meaning Gwendolen), the longer she is
without knowing it the better, in her present nervous state. And she
will best learn it from Dan himself." Sir Hugo's conjectures had worked
so industriously with his knowledge, that he fancied himself well
informed concerning the whole situation.

Meanwhile his residence with his family at Diplow enabled him to
continue his fatherly attentions to Gwendolen; and in these Lady
Mallinger, notwithstanding her small liking for widows, was quite
willing to second him.

The plan of removal to Offendene had been carried out; and Gwendolen,
in settling there, maintained a calm beyond her mother's hopes. She was
experiencing some of that peaceful melancholy which comes from the
renunciation of demands for self, and from taking the ordinary good of
existence, and especially kindness, even from a dog, as a gift above
expectation. Does one who has been all but lost in a pit of darkness
complain of the sweet air and the daylight? There is a way of looking
at our life daily as an escap