Then he went back tothe sofa, and sat there looking
at her, saying:It isnt love, it is worship.
He lay with his eyes shut, and the sun on his
swarthy, transparent,immobile face.
That is the way to letyour beauty blossom. Then he
laughed, showing his strong white teeth, thatseemed a little too large, rather
dreadful. It was as ifCount Dionys accused her in her sleep of something, she did
notquite know what.
Her brows knitted, her face took on a look of
discontent. She stood therepassive and indomitable with the wide-eyed persistence of
herwintry, blond nature.
If your maid sews for me, it will still be the
same.
And inside it was the bit of screwed-up blue
paper.
He had long, white hands with palefreckles. Tell me
when you lost it, Daphne, he said, examining the bauble.
The world Iwas sane about has gone raving. I
suppose I must be a bit of a shock to you, he said. She spoke to the matron, and had
his bed carried out where therewas a big window that came low.
Well, you may as well rehearse, hes with Admiral
Burns on theAriadne. Ah, your ladyship, bewise, and make friends with your
anger.
But it had also made her nerve-worn, her husbands
love.
And she has as much poison in hermouth as he. She
spoke to the matron, and had his bed carried out where therewas a big window that
came low. Suddenly his dark eyes opened and caught her looking.
Daphnes voice had become slow and sonorous, like
bronze, as italways did when she was upset.
Ah, the Psaneks have had a ladybird in theirbonnets
for many hundred years. They strayed about through the thin clump of
trees.
That afternoon she drove out to Hurst
Place.
Something, someone seemed to be looking overhis
shoulder.
So then, be friends with the angry me,
yourladyship.
Then atlast she said, in a peculiar voice:And you
would never want to kiss me?
Daphne wondered how he could lie so still, how he
couldlook so immobile.
She glanced again, with that slow, Chinese
side-look, and felt shewould die. Ah, she was his wifefor this reason, that he had
given himself to her so greatly, sogenerously.