But she had been simply disarmed and beaten down by
William's sweetness, patience, and good-humor. Never had he been so
determined, and never so lovable.
It had been made abundantly plain to her that no wife, however exacting
and adorable, should ever rob her, his mother, of one tittle of his old
affection--nay, that, would she only accept Kitty, only take the little
forlorn creature into the shelter of her motherly arms, even a more
tender and devoted attention than before, on the part of her son, would
be surely hers. He spoke, moreover, the language of sound sense about
his proposed bride. That he was in love, passionately in love, was
evident; but there were moments when he could discuss Kitty, her family,
her bringing-up, her gifts and defects, with the same cool acumen, the
same detachment, apparently, he might have given, say, to the Egyptian
or the Balkan problem. Lady Tranmore was not invited to bow before a
divinity; she was asked to accept a very gifted and lovely child, often
troublesome and provoking, but full of a glorious promise which only
persons of discernment, like herself and Ashe, could fully realize.
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