She gave an envious thought to the happier lot of men, who are always free to plunge into the healing waters of action.

Lord Warburton of course spoke of the past, but he spoke of it without implications; he even went so far as to allude to their former meeting in Rome as a very jolly time.

And he told her he had been immensely interested in hearing of her marriage and that it was a great pleasure for him to make Mr.Osmond's acquaintance--since he could hardly be said to have made it on the other occasion.

He had not written to her at the time of that passage in her history, but he didn't apologise to her for this.

The only thing he implied was that they were old friends, intimate friends.