Well, in the sense that MT could hardly utter a conventionally pompous phrase in passing, such as that one, without a facetious glint in his eye, somewhere, I'm sure. I'd guess that "White" was as much shorthand for "respectable" as it was a literal racial designation - as in, e.g., " that's mighty white of you." On Nov 30, 2011, at 11:25 PM, [log in to unmask] wrote: >> I figure "white" just goes along with "highly respectable" in the >> conventional rhetorical litany of attributes accorded a woman one is proud >> to have in one's company, at that declarative time But...who WAS that >> white woman? > > Olivia Langdon, I'd assume. I think he was courting her by that time, and I > seem to recall they went to see Dickens at least once together. And in a > more subjective vein, he really does sound like a proud suitor in this > passage -- to my ears, anyway. > > As for the use of "white," I've always taken that as something of a joke. > > -- Bob G.