"As she heard the brougham draw up in the wet street before the door Mrs. Warren allowed her book to fall closed upon her lap, and her attractive face awakened to an expression of agreeable expectation, in itself denoting the existence of interesting and desirable qualities in the husband at the moment inserting his latchkey in the front door preparatory to mounting the stairs and joining her. The man who after twenty five years of marriage can call, by his return to her side, this expression to the countenance of an intelligent woman is, without question or argument, an individual whose life and occupations are as interesting as his character and points of view."
From The Making of a Marchioness by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
Should you have watched last night's dire television adaptation (and see Elaine's post on it here), please don't let that put you off the book.
