"It also seems as if there were remarkable affinities between his character and that of a little girl I know."
"But who? I don't understand."
"Nevertheless, it is some one you know. He appears to be capricious, imaginative, vivacious; he adores travelling, is an excellent rider, and a good sportsman, either on foot or horseback, all which coincides admirably with the tastes of a certain 'Diana Vernon.'"
"I thought that was what you always called me."
"So it is. Do you recognize my portrait?"
"Not at all, not in the least. I am gentle, calm, collected. I like travelling, yes. But where have I been? To Paris, Berlin, Vienna, London, and that is all, I love horses, but what do I ever ride except my poor little Gretchen?"
"She has nearly killed you twice over!"
"Poor thing! it was my own fault. As for shooting, I have never held a gun, and as for coursing, I have never started a hare."
"True, but why not? Only because the grandmother objected. If you could have had your own way—"
"Oh, yes! It would be glorious to rush against the wind, to feel it blowing through one's hair. There is great pleasure in rapid motion, a feeling of life which one finds in nothing else."