That was where he meant to stay.

"It's innocent," he repeated--"I see the whole thing." Mystified by his abrupt declaration, she had glanced over at Gloriani as at the unnamed subject of his allusion, but the next moment she had understood; though indeed not before Strether had noticed her momentary mistake and wondered what might possibly be behind that too.

He already knew that the sculptor admired Madame de Vionnet; but did this admiration also represent an attachment of which the innocence was discussable?
He was moving verily in a strange air and on ground not of the firmest.

He looked hard for an instant at Miss Barrace, but she had already gone on.

"All right with Mr.Newsome?
Why of course she is!"-- and she got gaily back to the question of her own good friend.