Had she been alone with Caroline, she might possibly have said something to the point: Miss Keeldar's presence, accustomed as she was to it, sealed her lips. Now, as on a thousand other occasions, inexplicable nervous scruples kept her back from interfering. 
Had she been alone with Caroline, she might have spoken: but Miss Keeldar's presence sealed her lips, and nervous scruples kept her from interfering. 