in it!"

"In what?"

"In the character of the attachment. In its innocence."

But she defended herself. "I don't pretend to know anything about it.
Everything's possible. We must see."

"See?" he echoed with a groan. "Haven't we seen enough?"

"I haven't," she smiled.

"But do you suppose then little Bilham has lied?"

"You must find out."

It made him almost turn pale. "Find out any MORE?"

He had dropped on a sofa for dismay; but she seemed, as she stood over
him, to have the last word. "Wasn't what you came out for to find out
ALL?"

Book Fifth

I

The Sunday of the next week was a wonderful day, and Chad Newsome had
let his friend know in advance that he had provided for it. There had
already been a question of his taking him to see the great Gloriani,
who was at home on Sunday afternoons and at whose house, for the most
part, fewer bores were to be met than elsewhere; but the project,
through some accident, had not had instant effect, and now revived in
happier conditions. Chad had made the point that the celebrated
sculptor had a queer old garden, for which the weather--spring at last
frank and fair--was propitious; and two or three of his other allusions
had confirmed for Strether the expectation of something special. He
had by this time, for all introductions and adventures, let himself
recklessly go, cherishing the sense that whatever the young man showed
him he was showing at least himself. He could have wished indeed, so
far as this went, that Chad were less of a mere cicerone; for he was
not without the impression--now that the vision of his game, his plan,
his deep diplomacy, did recurrently assert itself--of his taking refuge
from the realities of their intercourse in profusely dispensing, as our
friend mentally phrased et panem et circenses. Our friend continued to
feel rather smothered in flowers, though he made in his other moments
the almost angry inference that this was only because of his odious
ascetic suspicion of any form of beauty. He periodically assured
himself--for his reactions were sharp--that he shouldn't reach the
truth of anything till he had at least got rid of that.

He had known beforehand that Madame de Vionnet and her daughter would
probably be on view, an intimation to that effect having constituted
the only reference again made by Chad to his good friends from the
south. The effect of Strether's talk about them with Miss Gostrey had
bee