No woman, of course, in Miss Raeburn's position, and with Miss Raeburn's general interest in her kind, could have been ignorant for any appreciable number of days after the Boyces' arrival at Mellor that they possessed a handsome daughter, of whom the Hardens in particular gave striking but, as Miss Raeburn privately thought, by no means wholly attractive accounts.

And now, after all these somewhat agitating preliminaries, here was the girl established in the Court drawing-room, Aldous more nervous and preoccupied than she had ever seen him, and Lord Maxwell expressing a particular anxiety to return from his Board meeting in good time for luncheon, to which he had especially desired that Lady Winterbourne should be bidden, and no one else! It may well be supposed that Miss Raeburn was on the alert.
As for Marcella, she was on her side keenly conscious of being observed, of having her way to make.

Here she was alone among these formidable people, whose acquaintance she had in a manner compelled.

Well--what blame?
What was to prevent her from doing the same thing again to-morrow?
Her conscience was absolutely clear.

If they were not ready to meet her in the same spirit in which through Mr.Raeburn she had approached them, she would know perfectly well how to protect herself--above all, how to live out her life in the future without troubling them.
Meanwhile, in spite of her dignity and those inward propitiations it from time to time demanded, she was, in her human vivid way, full of an excitement and curiosity she could hardly conceal as perfectly as she desired--curiosity as to the great house and the life in it, especially as to Aldous Raeburn's part therein.