But he didn't flatter himself that the desire to repair a past injustice was the motive of their visitor's calls; he read the situation more clearly.
Isabel was the attraction, and in all conscience a sufficient one.
Osmond was a critic, a student of the exquisite, and it was natural he should be curious of so rare an apparition.

So when his mother observed to him that it was plain what Mr.Osmond was thinking of, Ralph replied that he was quite of her opinion.

Mrs.Touchett had from far back found a place on her scant list for this gentleman, though wondering dimly by what art and what process--so negative and so wise as they were--he had everywhere effectively imposed himself.

As he had never been an importunate visitor he had had no chance to be offensive, and he was recommended to her by his appearance of being as well able to do without her as she was to do without him--a quality that always, oddly enough, affected her as providing ground for a relation with her.

It gave her no satisfaction, however, to think that he had taken it into his head to marry her niece.