He had many things to tell of the people he had seen, and the
sports he had shared in. He had developed and enlarged a vein of
gentlemanly satire, which he kept supplied by the observation and
analysis of the peculiarities, generally weaknesses, of others.
These, as a matter of course, he judged merely by the poor standard
of society: questioned concerning any upon the larger human scale,
he could give no account of them. To Donal's eyes, the man was a
shallow pool whose surface brightness concealed the muddy bottom.
CHAPTER LXVII.
THE BREAKFAST-ROOM.
Two years before, lady Arctura had been in the habit of riding a
good deal, but after an accident to a favourite horse for which she
blamed herself, she had scarcely ridden at all. It was quite as
much, however, from the influence of Miss Carmichael upon her
spirits, that she had forsaken the exercise. Partly because her
uncle was neither much respected nor much liked, she had visited
very little; and after mental trouble assailed her, growing under
the false prescriptions of the soul-doctor she had called in, she
withdrew more and more, avoiding even company she would have
enjoyed, and which would before now have led her to resume it.
For a time she persisted in refusing to ride with Forgue. In vain he
offered his horse, assuring her that Davie's pony was quite able to
carry him; she had no inclination to ride, she said.
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