CHAPTER XXIII.
Madame Merle, who had come to Florence on Mrs.Touchett's arrival at the invitation of this lady--Mrs.Touchett offering her for a month the hospitality of Palazzo Crescentini--the judicious Madame Merle spoke to Isabel afresh about Gilbert Osmond and expressed the hope she might know him; making, however, no such point of the matter as we have seen her do in recommending the girl herself to Mr.Osmond's attention.

The reason of this was perhaps that Isabel offered no resistance whatever to Madame Merle's proposal.

In Italy, as in England, the lady had a multitude of friends, both among the natives of the country and its heterogeneous visitors.

She had mentioned to Isabel most of the people the girl would find it well to "meet"-- of course, she said, Isabel could know whomever in the wide world she would--and had placed Mr.Osmond near the top of the list.

He was an old friend of her own; she had known him these dozen years; he was one of the cleverest and most agreeable men--well, in Europe simply.