The soft beauty
enclosing her was a little shut out from her by her mental attitude. She
brought forward for her own decisions upon suitable action a number of
possible situations she might find herself called upon to confront.
The one thing necessary was that she should be prepared for anything
whatever, even for Rosy's not being pleased to see her, or for finding
Sir Nigel a thoroughly reformed and amiable character.
"It is the thing which seemingly CANNOT happen which one is most likely
to find one's self face to face with. It will be a little awkward to
arrange, if he has developed every domestic virtue, and is delighted to
see me."
Under such rather confusing conditions her plan would be to present to
them, as an affectionate surprise, the unheralded visit, which might
appear a trifle uncalled for. She felt happily sure of herself under any
circumstances not partaking of the nature of collisions at sea. Yet she
had not behaved absolutely ill at the time of the threatened catastrophe
in the Meridiana. Her remembrance, an oddly sudden one, of the definite
manner of the red-haired second-class passenger, assured her of that. He
had certainly had all his senses about him, and he had spoken to her as
a person to be counted on.
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