His plans had been made for return before Christmas; and it would seem that his scheme of life was laid down with as much precision as if he had been a prince of the blood royal.

Thus it happened, to Lesbia's intense disgust, that her _debut_ was deferred till the verge of her twentieth birthday.

It would never do, Lady Maulevrier told herself, for the edge to be taken off the effect which Lesbia's beauty was to make on society during Lord Hartfield's absence.
He must be there, on the spot, to see this star rise gently and slowly above society's horizon, and to mark how everybody bowed down and worshipped the new light.
'I shall be an old woman before I appear in society,' said Lesbia, petulantly; 'and I shall be like a wild woman of the woods; for I have seen nothing, and know nothing of the civilised world.' 'You will be ever so much more attractive than the young women I hear of, who have seen and known a great deal too much,' answered the dowager; and as her granddaughter knew that Lady Maulevrier's word was a law that altered not, there was no more idle repinings.
Her ladyship gave no reason for the postponement of Lesbia's presentation.

She was far too diplomatic to breathe a word of her ideas with regard to Lord Hartfield.

Anything like a matrimonial scheme would have been revolting to Lesbia, who had grand, but not sordid views about matrimony.