He
noted all the dainty trifles of her toilette half doubtingly, half
admiringly,--the knot of rich old lace that fastened her sables,--
the solitary star-like diamond which held that lace in careless
position--the numerous little touches of taste and elegance which
made her so unique and graceful among women--and a pang shot through
his heart as he thought of her wealth, and his own poverty. She
meanwhile, on her part, was studying him with all the close interest
that a cultured and refined woman feels, who is strongly conscious
of having awakened a sudden and masterful passion in a man whom she
secretly admires. A triumphant sense of her own power moved her,
allied to a much more rare and beautiful emotion--the sense of soul-
submission to a greater and higher life than her own. And so it
chanced that never had she looked so charming--never had her fair
cheeks flushed a prettier rose--never had her easy fascination of
manner been so bewitchingly troubled by hesitation and timidity--
never had her eyes sparkled with a softer or more irresistible
languor. Aubrey felt that he was fast losing his head as he watched
her move, speak, and smile,--and with a sudden bracing up of his
energies resolved to make his adieux at once.
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