They could not have understood her, their answers to her questions would have seemed foolish and worthless, and they would have tormented her with questions of their own, inopportune, importunate, tiresome.

She herself did not know that what she craved was the love or the friendship of one strong, honest man.
It was strange to find out suddenly how wide was the breach which separated her from her mother, with whom she had lived so happily throughout her childhood and early youth, with whom she had agreed--or rather, who had agreed with her--on the whole almost without a discussion.

It was hard to find in her now so little warmth of heart, so little power to understand, above all such a display of determination and such quiet force in argument.

Very indolent women are sometimes very deceptive in regard to the will they hold in reserve, but Beatrice could not have believed that her mother could influence her as she had done.
She reflected that it had surely been within the limits of the Marchesa's choice to take her daughter's side so soon as she had seen that the latter had mistaken her own feelings.

She need not have agreed with San Miniato, on that fatal evening at Tragara, that the marriage was definitely settled, until she had at least exchanged a word with Beatrice herself.
The future looked black enough on that hot summer morning.