You have felled all the trees that were to be purchased by you this season, except the oaks, I believe." "Yes," said Melbury.
"How very nice! It must be so charming to work in the woods just now!" She was too careless to affect an interest in an extraneous person's affairs so consummately as to deceive in the manner of the perfect social machine.

Hence her words "very nice," "so charming," were uttered with a perfunctoriness that made them sound absurdly unreal.
"Yes, yes," said Melbury, in a reverie.

He did not take a chair, and she also remained standing.

Resting upon his stick, he began: "Mrs.
Charmond, I have called upon a more serious matter--at least to me--than tree-throwing.

And whatever mistakes I make in my manner of speaking upon it to you, madam, do me the justice to set 'em down to my want of practice, and not to my want of care." Mrs.Charmond looked ill at ease.