Melancholy is
sweet to us then, and delight is shadowy, for the soul is half asleep.
Valentin gave himself up to this life of sensations; he was steeping
himself in the warm, soft twilight, enjoying the pure air with the
scent of the hills in it, happy in that he felt no pain, and had
tranquilized his threatening Magic Skin at last. It grew cooler as the
red glow of the sunset faded on the mountain peaks; he shut the window
and left his place.
"Will you be so kind as not to close the windows, sir?" said an old
lady; "we are being stifled----"
The peculiarly sharp and jarring tones in which the phrase was uttered
grated on Raphael's ears; it fell on them like an indiscreet remark
let slip by some man in whose friendship we would fain believe, a word
which reveals unsuspected depths of selfishness and destroys some
pleasing sentimental illusion of ours. The Marquis glanced, with the
cool inscrutable expression of a diplomatist, at the old lady, called
a servant, and, when he came, curtly bade him:
"Open that window."
Great surprise was clearly expressed on all faces at the words. The
whole roomful began to whisper to each other, and turned their eyes
upon the invalid, as though he had given some serious offence.
Pages:
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371