Now her neck, now her hair, now her round arm, now her tapering
waist, ravished his attention; now he is in ecstasies with her twinkling
foot; now he is dazzled with her glancing hand.
Once more he was at Dacre! How different was this meeting to their
first! Then, she was cold, almost cutting; then she was disregardful,
almost contemptuous; but then he had hoped; ah! madman, he had more than
hoped. Now she was warm, almost affectionate; now she listened to him
with readiness, ay! almost courted his conversation. And now he could
only despair. As he stood alone before the fire, chewing this bitter
cud, she approached him.
'How good you were to come directly!' she said with a smile, which
melted his heart. 'I fear, however, you will not find us so merry as
before. But you can make anything amusing. Come, then, and sing to these
damsels. Do you know they are half afraid of you? and I cannot persuade
them that a terrible magician has not assumed, for the nonce, the air
and appearance of a young gentleman of distinction.'
He smiled, but could not speak. Repartee sadly deserts the lover; yet
smiles, under those circumstances, are eloquent; and the eye, after all,
speaks much more to the purpose than the tongue.
Pages:
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449