But Aubrey Mannering perfectly understood what she would be at.

She was a clever woman who wanted things improved.

Well, let her improve them.

It did not matter to him.
But she appeared to him as a somewhat special type of the modern woman, with her advanced education and her clear brain; and for a time he observed her curiously.

The graceful dress, pale blue with touches of black, which exactly became her fair skin, the bright gold of her hair, and the pleasant homeliness of her face--her general aspect indeed--attracted him greatly.