Nitocris had, happily, told her nothing of what had passed between Lord Leighton and herself, and so the pleasant element in her disquietude was entirely unalloyed.
Her father was already too deeply engrossed in learned converse with his brother professors to take any notice of the great fact which was beginning to get itself accomplished; but her mother's instinct instantly noticed the subtle change that had come over her daughter, and she saw it with anything but displeasure.

All sensible mothers of beautiful daughters are discreetly sanguine.

She was far too wise in her generation not to have agreed with Brenda's decision in certain former cases.

The idea of her daughter's beauty and her father's millions being bartered for mere rank and social power, however splendid, was utterly repugnant to her.

She had married for love, and she wanted Brenda to do the same, whoever the chosen man might be, provided always that he was a man--and in this regard there could be no doubt about Lord Lester Leighton; so as they walked away she said to Nitocris with a confidence which was almost girlish: "His Lordship is just delightful--now, isn't he, Miss Marmion?
Just the sort that you seem to raise over here, and nowhere else.