e beside his chair; but George remained posed in
his great imperturbability, cigar between teeth, eyes upon ceiling, and
paid no attention to her. Fanny waited until the sound of Isabel's and
the Major's voices became inaudible in the hall. Then she said quickly,
and in a low voice so eager that it was unsteady:

"George, you've struck just the treatment to adopt: you're doing the
right thing!"

She hurried out, scurrying after the others with a faint rustling of
her black skirts, leaving George mystified but incurious. He did not
understand why she should bestow her approbation upon him in the matter,
and cared so little whether she did or not that he spared himself even
the trouble of being puzzled about it.

In truth, however, he was neither so comfortable nor so imperturbable as
he appeared. He felt some gratification: he had done a little to put
the man in his place--that man whose influence upon his daughter was
precisely the same thing as a contemptuous criticism of George Amberson
Minafer, and of George Amberson Minafer's "ideals of life." Lucy's going
away without a word was intended, he supposed, as a bit of punishment.
Well, he wasn't the sort of man that people were allowed to punish: he
could demonstrate that to them--since they started it!

It appeared to him as almost a kind of insolence, this abrupt
departure--not even telephoning! Probably she wondered how he would take
it; she even might have supposed he would show some betraying chagrin
when he heard of it.

He had no idea that this was just what he had shown; and he was
satisfied with his evening's performance. Nevertheless, he was not
comfortable in his mind; though he could not have explained his inward
perturbations, for he was convinced, without any confirmation from his
Aunt Fanny, that he had done "just the right thing."

Chapter XX

Isabel came to George's door that night, and when she had kissed him
good-night she remained in the open doorway with her hand upon his
shoulder and her eyes thoughtfully lowered, so that her wish to say
something more than good-night was evident. Not less obvious was her
perplexity about the manner of saying it; and George, divining her
thought, amiably made an opening for her.

"Well, old lady," he said indulgently, "you needn't look so worried. I
won't be tactless with Morgan again. After this I'll just keep out of
his way."

Isabel looked up, searching his face with the fond puzzlement whic