182 THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY. "Jsabel steps into something like seventy thousand pounds." Madame Merle's hands were clasped in her lap ; at this she raised them, still clasped, and held them a moment against her bosom, -while her eyes, a little dilated, fixed themselves on those of her friend. " Ah," she cried, " the clever creature ! " Mrs. Touchett gave her a quick look. " What do you mean by that ?" For an instant Madame Merle's colour rose, and she dropped her eyes. "It certainly is clever to achieve such results without an effort ! " "There certainly was no effort; don't call it an achievement." Madame Merle was rarely guilty of the awkwardness of retracting what she had said ; her wisdom was shown rather in maintaining it and placing it in a favourable light. " My dear friend, Isabel would certainly not have had seventy thousand pounds left her if she had not been the most charming girl in the world. Her charm includes great cleverness." " She never dreamed, I am sure, of my husband's doing any- thing for her ; and I never dreamed of it either, for he never spoke to me of his intention," Mrs. Touchett said. " She had no claim upon him whatever ; it was no great recommendation to him that she was my niece. Whatever she achieved she achieved unconsciously." "Ah," rejoined Madame Merle, "those are the greatest strokes ! " Mrs. Touchett gave a shrug. " The girl is fortunate ; I don't deny that. But for the present she is simply stupefied." " Do you mean that she doesn't know what to do with the money ^ " "That, 1 I think, she has hardly considered. She doesn't know what to think about the matter at all. It has been as if a big gun were suddenly fired off behind her; she is feeling herself, to see if she be hurt. It js but three days since she received a visit from the principal executor who came in person, very gallantly, to notify her. He told me afterwards that when he had made his little speech she suddenly burst into tears. The money is to remain in the bank, and she is to draw the interest." Madame Merle shook her head, with a wise, and now quite benignant, smile. " After she had done that two or three times she will get used to it." Then after a silence " What does your son think of it 1 " she abruptly asked. " He left England just before it came out used up by his fatigue and anxiety, and hurrying off to the south. He is on
