The difficulties of securing this second seance, and the doubt
that involved the obtaining of another, had deeply impressed him. He
might never again see Ida on earth, and upon the fidelity with which his
memory retained every feature of her face, every line of her figure, his
thoughts by day, and his dreams by night, might have to depend for their
texture until he should meet her in another world.
The lingering looks that are the lover's luxury were not for these
fleeting seconds. His gaze burned upon her face and played around her
form like lightning. He grudged the instantaneous muscles of the eye the
time they took to make the circuit of her figure.
But when, as on that other night, she came close up to him and smiled
upon him, time and circumstance were instantly forgotten, and he fell
into a state of enchantment in which will and thought were inert.
He was aroused from it by an extraordinary change that came over her. She
started and shivered slightly in every limb. The recognition faded out of
her eyes and gave place to a blank bewilderment.
Then came a turning of her head from side to side, while, with dilated
eyes, she explored the dim recesses of the room with the startled
expression of an awakened sleep-walker.
Pages:
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101