Mrs.
Ambrose, who had been speaking much at random, now reflected that she certainly did not look forward to the intimacy of three or four weeks on board ship which was threatened.

Women of her own age usually boring her, she supposed that girls would be worse.

She glanced at Rachel again.

Yes! how clear it was that she would be vacillating, emotional, and when you said something to her it would make no more lasting impression than the stroke of a stick upon water.

There was nothing to take hold of in girls--nothing hard, permanent, satisfactory.