Mrs. Touchett gave her a quick look. "What do you mean by that?"
For an instant Madame Merle＇s colour rose and she dropped her eyes. "It certainly is clever to achieve such results—without an effort!"
"There assuredly was no effort. Don＇t call it an achievement."
Madame Merle was seldom guilty of the awkwardness of retracting what she had said; her wisdom was shown rather in maintaining it and placing it in a favourable light. "My dear friend, Isabel would certainly not have had seventy thousand pounds left her if she had not been the most charming girl in the world. Her charm includes great cleverness."