Hardyman gravely declared that he understood her perfectly. "Perfectly!"
he repeated, with his impenetrable obstinacy. "Your Ladyship exactly
expresses my opinion of Miss Isabel. Prudent, and cheerful, and
sweet-tempered, as you say--all the qualities in a woman that I admire.
With good looks, too--of course, with good looks. She will be a perfect
treasure (as you remarked just now) to the man who marries her. I may
claim to know something about it. I have twice narrowly escaped being
married myself; and, though I can't exactly explain it, I'm all the
harder to please in consequence. Miss Isabel pleases me. I think I
have said that before? Pardon me for saying it again. I'll call again
to-morrow morning and look at the dog as early as eleven o'clock, if you
will allow me. Later in the day I must be off to France to attend a sale
of horses. Glad to have been of any use to your Ladyship, I am sure.
Good-morning."

Lady Lydiard let him go, wisely resigning any further attempt to
establish an understanding between her visitor and herself.

"He is either a person of very limited intelligence when he is away from
his stables," she thought, "or he deliberately declines to take a plain
hint when it is given to him. I can't drop his acquaintance, on Tommie's
account. The only other alternative is to keep Isabel out of his way. My
good little girl shall not drift into a false position while I am living
to look after her. When Mr. Hardyman calls to-morrow she shall be out
on an errand. When he calls the next time she shall be upstairs with a
headache. And if he tries it again she shall be away at my house in the
country. If he makes any remarks on her absence--well, he will find that
I can be just as dull of understanding as he is when the occasion calls
for it."