She had not, however, concealed the fact that she had had opportunities of marrying and had even let her friend know of how advantageous a kind they had been.

Lord Warburton had left Lockleigh and was gone to Scotland, taking his sisters with him; and though he had written to Ralph more than once to ask about Mr.Touchett's health the girl was not liable to the embarrassment of such enquiries as, had he still been in the neighbourhood, he would probably have felt bound to make in person.

He had excellent ways, but she felt sure that if he had come to Gardencourt he would have seen Madame Merle, and that if he had seen her he would have liked her and betrayed to her that he was in love with her young friend.

It so happened that during this lady's previous visits to Gardencourt--each of them much shorter than the present--he had either not been at Lockleigh or had not called at Mr.Touchett's.
Therefore, though she knew him by name as the great man of that county, she had no cause to suspect him as a suitor of Mrs.Touchett's freshly-imported niece.
"You've plenty of time," she had said to Isabel in return for the mutilated confidences which our young woman made her and which didn't pretend to be perfect, though we have seen that at moments the girl had compunctions at having said so much.

"I'm glad you've done nothing yet--that you have it still to do.