"No wonder she can reel off statistics as she does.
'Subjects to be talked of at dinner'-- forsooth!" And Arabella stood there, her kind plain face crimson, and her brown eyes blinking pitifully behind her glasses.
She was too fine to say anything, it would make the situation impossibly difficult if she invented an explanation.

So she just blinked--and finally, after placing the fresh flowers by Mr.Derringham's bed, she left the room by the door beyond.
When she had gone it was as if a curtain were raised upon John Derringham's understanding.

Countless circumstances came back to him when his _fiancee's_ apparent learning had aroused his admiration, and with a twinge he remembered Cheiron's maliciously amused eyes which had met his during her visit to the orchard house, when she had become a little at sea in some of her conversation.

The whole thing then was a colossal bluff--Arabella was the brain! Arabella was the erudite, cultured person and his admirable Cecilia played the role of extremely clever parrot! He laughed with bitter cynical merriment until he shook in his bed.
And he, poor fool, had been taken in by it all--he and a number of others.

He was in company at all events! Then he saw another aspect, and almost admired the woman for her audacity.