ear"--he had turned to the child
herself--"is the best man in the world, who has it in his power to do a
great deal for us and whom I want you to like and revere as nearly as
possible as much as I do."

She stood there quite pink, a little frightened, prettier and prettier
and not a bit like her mother. There was in this last particular no
resemblance but that of youth to youth; and here was in fact suddenly
Strether's sharpest impression. It went wondering, dazed, embarrassed,
back to the woman he had just been talking with; it was a revelation in
the light of which he already saw she would become more interesting. So
slim and fresh and fair, she had yet put forth this perfection; so that
for really believing it of her, for seeing her to any such developed
degree as a mother, comparison would be urgent. Well, what was it now
but fairly thrust upon him? "Mamma wishes me to tell you before we
go," the girl said, "that she hopes very much you'll come to see us
very soon. She has something important to say to you."

"She quite reproaches herself," Chad helpfully explained: "you were
interesting her so much when she accidentally suffered you to be
interrupted."

"Ah don't mention it!" Strether murmured, looking kindly from one to
the other and wondering at many things.

"And I'm to ask you for myself," Jeanne continued with her hands
clasped together as if in some small learnt prayer--"I'm to ask you for
myself if you won't positively come."

"Leave it to me, dear--I'll take care of it!" Chad genially declared in
answer to this, while Strether himself almost held his breath. What
was in the girl was indeed too soft, too unknown for direct dealing; so
that one could only gaze at it as at a picture, quite staying one's own
hand. But with Chad he was now on ground--Chad he could meet; so
pleasant a confidence in that and in everything did the young man
freely exhale. There was the whole of a story in his tone to his
companion, and he spoke indeed as if already of the family. It made
Strether guess the more quickly what it might be about which Madame de
Vionnet was so urgent. Having seen him then she had found him easy;
she wished to have it out with him that some way for the young people
must be discovered, some way that would not impose as a condition the
transplantation of her daughter. He already saw himself discussing
with this lady the attractions of Woollett as a residence for Chad's
companion. Was that