Rhoda Fleming — Volume 5 by George Meredith
page 24 of 110 (21%)
page 24 of 110 (21%)
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Rhoda's eyes were not beautiful as they fixed on the object of her quest.
In this they were of the character of her mission. She was dealing with an evil thing, and had chosen to act according to her light, and by the counsel of her combative and forceful temper. At each step new difficulties had to be encountered by fresh contrivances; and money now-- money alone had become the specific for present use. There was a limitation of her spiritual vision to aught save to money; and the money being bared to her eyes, a frightful gleam of eagerness shot from them. Her hands met Anthony's in a common grasp of the money-bags. "It's not mine!" Anthony cried, in desperation. "Whose money is it?" said Rhoda, and caught up her hands as from fire. "My Lord!" Anthony moaned, "if you don't speak like a Court o' Justice. Hear yourself!" "Is the money yours, uncle?" "It--is," and "isn't" hung in the balance. "It is not?" Rhoda dressed the question for him in the terror of contemptuous horror. "It is. I--of course it is; how could it help being mine? My money? Yes. What sort o' thing's that to ask--whether what I've got's mine or yours, or somebody else's? Ha!" "And you say you are not rich, uncle?" |
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