Mr.Pole had uttered mysterious phrases: "You don't know what you've been doing:--You think the ship'll go on sailing without wind: You'll drive the horse till he drops," and such like; together with mutterings.

The words were of no import whatsoever to the ladies.

They were writings on the wall; untranslateable.

But, as when the earth quakes our noble edifices totter, their Palace of the Fine Shades and the Nice Feelings groaned and creaked, and for a moment they thought: "Where are we ?" Very soon they concluded, that the speech Arabella had heard was due to their darling papa's defective education.
In the Council of Three, with reference to the letter of apology to Mrs.
Chump, Adela proposed, if it pleased Arabella, to fight the battle of the Republic.

She was young, and wished both to fight and to lead, as Arabella knew.