How could she be such as she was? She had the lips
of an infant, and the eyes of an angel. Was it not strange that, under
all that, she should hide the heart of a born devil? But to continue my
narrative.
"The month or two which elapsed between my engagement and my marriage
was not an uninterrupted dream of bliss. The atmosphere was strangely
disturbed on more than one occasion. Mademoiselle was frequently absent
from the parsonage when I arrived, taking long walks with Monsieur, her
brother; and when she returned from these excursions, I could see a
very strange expression on her countenance as she looked at me.
Occasionally her glance was like those lurid flashes of lightning which
you may have seen issue from the depths of a black cloud. Her black
eyes were the cloud--admire the simile!--and I assure you their
expression at such moments was far from agreeable. What to make of it,
I knew not. I am not constitutionally irritable, but on more than one
occasion I felt a strange angry throb of the heart when I encountered
those glances.
"Mademoiselle saw my displeasure, and hastened at once to soothe and
dissipate it. The dark flash was always succeeded by the most brilliant
sunshine; but, even in moments of her greatest apparent abandon, I
would still meet suddenly, when she did not think I was looking at her,
the sombre glance which appalled me.
Pages:
490
491
492
493
494
495
496
497
498
499
500
501
502
503
504
505
506
507
508
509
510
511
512
513
514