It's only an American gentleman who calls at ten o'clock in the morning." "It was half-past ten; he was in a great hurry; he goes away this evening." "Couldn't he have come yesterday, at the usual time ?" "He only arrived last night." "He spends but twenty-four hours in Florence ?" Mrs.Touchett cried.
"He's an American gentleman truly." "He is indeed," said Isabel, thinking with perverse admiration of what Caspar Goodwood had done for her.
Two days afterward Ralph arrived; but though Isabel was sure that Mrs.
Touchett had lost no time in imparting to him the great fact, he showed at first no open knowledge of it.

Their prompted talk was naturally of his health; Isabel had many questions to ask about Corfu.

She had been shocked by his appearance when he came into the room; she had forgotten how ill he looked.

In spite of Corfu he looked very ill to-day, and she wondered if he were really worse or if she were simply disaccustomed to living with an invalid.

Poor Ralph made no nearer approach to conventional beauty as he advanced in life, and the now apparently complete loss of his health had done little to mitigate the natural oddity of his person.