he
had felt that he might want to marry her, because she was so unconscious
of the fact that she gave much more to everybody than she received, that
she had so much to give and was totally unaware of the value of her
gifts.

"His thoughts of me are so _beautiful_ very often," was her favourite
reflection, "though he always has that composed way of saying things.
What he says seems more _valuable_, because he is like that."

In truth, his composed way of saying things it was which seemed to her
incomparable. Even when, without understanding its own longing for a
thing it lacked, her heart had felt itself a little unsustained she had
never ceased to feel the fascination of his entire freedom from any
shadow of interest in the mental attitude of others towards himself.
When he stood and gazed at people through the glass neatly screwed into
his eye, one felt that it was he whose opinion was of importance, not
the other person's. Through sheer chill imperviousness he seemed
entirely detached from the powers of criticism. What people said or
thought of his fixed opinion on a subject was not of the least
consequence, in fact did not exist; the entities of the persons who
cavilled at such opinions themselves ceased to exist, so far as he was
concerned. His was the immovable temperament. He did not snub people: he
cut the cord of mental communication with them and dropped them into
space. Emily thought this firmness and reserved dignity, and quailed
before the thought of erring in such a manner as would cause him to so
send her soul adrift. Her greatest terror during the past months had
been the fear of making him ridiculous, of putting him in some position
which might annoy him by objectionable publicity.

But now she had no further fears, and could wait in safety and dwell in
peace upon her memories and her hopes. She even began to gain a kind of
courage in her thoughts of him.

The atmosphere of the Berkeley Square mansion was good for her. She had
never felt so much its mistress before the staff of servants of whose
existence she was the centre, who so plainly served her with careful
pleasure, who considered her least wish or inclination as a royal
command, increased her realisation of her security and power. The
Warrens, who understood the dignity and meaning of mere worldly facts
her nature did not grasp, added subtly to her support. Gradually she
learned to reveal herself in simple talk to Mrs. Warren, who found her,