“I think the subject of our conversation is very ill-chosen,” said Sir James, with a look of disgust.  “Suppose we change it.”

“Not on my account, Sir James,” said Dorothea, determined not to lose the opportunity of freeing herself from certain oblique references to excellent matches.  “If you are speaking on my behalf, I can assure you that no question can be more indifferent and impersonal to me than second marriage.  It is no more to me than if you talked of women going fox-hunting:  whether it is admirable in them or not, I shall not follow them.  Pray let Mrs. Cadwallader amuse herself on that subject as much as on any other.”

“My dear Mrs. Casaubon,” said Lady Chettam, in her stateliest way, “you do not, I hope, think there was any allusion to you in my mentioning Mrs. Beevor.  It was only an instance that occurred to me.  She was step-daughter to Lord Grinsell:  he married Mrs. Teveroy for his second wife.  There could be no possible allusion to you.”

“Oh no,” said Celia.  “Nobody chose the subject; it all came out of Dodo’s cap.  Mrs. Cadwallader only said what was quite true.  A woman could not be married in a widow’s cap, James.”

“Hush, my dear!” said Mrs. Cadwallader.  “I will not offend again.  I will not even refer to Dido or Zenobia.  Only what are we to talk about?  I, for my part, object to the discussion of Human Nature, because that is the nature of rectors’ wives.”

Later in the evening, after Mrs. Cadwallader was gone, Celia said privately to Dorothea, “Really, Dodo, taking your cap off made you like yourself again in more ways than one.  You spoke up just as you used to do, when anything was said to displease you.  But I could hardly make out whether it was James that you thought wrong, or Mrs. Cadwallader.”

“Neither,” said Dorothea.  “James spoke out of delicacy to me, but he was mistaken in supposing that I minded what Mrs. Cadwallader said.  I should only mind if there were a law obliging me to take any piece of blood and beauty that she or anybody else recommended.”

“But you know, Dodo, if you ever did marry, it would be all the better to have blood and beauty,” said Celia, reflecting that Mr. Casaubon had not been richly endowed with those gifts, and that it would be well to caution Dorothea in time.

“Don’t be anxious, Kitty; I have quite other thoughts about my life.  I shall never marry again,” said Dorothea, touching her sister’s chin, and looking at her with indulgent affection.  Celia was nursing her baby, and Dorothea had come to say good-night to her.

“Really—­quite?” said Celia.  “Not anybody at all—­if he were very wonderful indeed?”

Dorothea shook her head slowly.  “Not anybody at all.  I have delightful plans.  I should like to take a great deal of land, and drain it, and make a little colony, where everybody should work, and all the work should be done well.  I should know every one of the people and be their friend.  I am going to have great consultations with Mr. Garth:  he can tell me almost everything I want to know.”