There were no shades
of her character which would have disgusted or dismayed him; even the
knowledge that her erudition was merely parrot-talk, would only have
appealed to his admiration as a further proof of her sagacity.
They went on to Venice the day after he arrived, with Arabella to make a
chaperoning third, and for the first two days afterwards Cecilia kept
him at arm's length, but not waiting for his dinner! Some instinct told
her that in his home circle he would probably have been accustomed to
worthy, punctual women, and, while she enjoyed tantalizing him, she knew
that he had a nasty temper and could not be provoked too far. No bonds
of honor or chivalry would control his actions as they would those of
John Derringham. She was dealing with as lawless a being as herself, and
it was very refreshing. Mr. Hanbury-Green knew her one weak point--she
was intensely sensitive of the world's opinion, as are all people who
inwardly know they are shams. She would have hated to be the center of a
scandal, from the point of view that it would irreparably close doors to
her; and her resentment of barriers and barrier-makers was always
present.
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