He was willing for Fate to knock him about as much and as hardly as she pleased, provided she would let Elisabeth alone, and allow the girl to go on believing in herself and enjoying herself as she was so abundantly capable of doing.

By this time Christopher was enough of a philosopher to think that it did not really matter much in the long run whether he were happy or unhappy; but he was not yet able to regard the thought of Elisabeth's unhappiness as anything but a catastrophe of the most insupportable magnitude; which showed that he had not yet sufficient philosophy to go round.
When Elisabeth arrived at the Moat House she found Mrs.Herbert alone, Felicia having gone out driving with her husband; and, to Elisabeth's surprise, there was no sign of the jubilation which she had anticipated.
On the contrary, Mrs.Herbert was subdued and tired-looking.
"I am so glad to see you, my dear," she said, kissing Elisabeth; "it is lonely in this big house all by myself." "It is always rather lonely to be in state," Elisabeth replied, returning her salute.

"I wonder if kings find it lonely all by themselves in pleasures and palaces.

I expect they do, but they put up with the loneliness for the sake of the stateliness; and you could hardly find a statelier house than this to be lonely in, if you tried." "Yes; it is a beautiful place," agreed Mrs.Herbert listlessly.
Elisabeth wondered what was wrong, but she did not ask; she knew that Mrs.Herbert would confide in her very soon.

People very rarely were reserved with Elisabeth; she was often amazed at the rapidity with which they opened their inmost hearts to her.