Diana of the Crossways — Volume 2 by George Meredith
page 6 of 108 (05%)
page 6 of 108 (05%)
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He was entreated to excuse her for consigning him to firelight when she left the room. Danvers brought in a dismal tallow candle, remarking that her mistress had not expected visitors: her mistress had nothing but tea and bread and butter to offer him. Danvers uttered no complaint of her sufferings; happy in being the picture of them. 'I'm not hungry,' said he. A plate of Andrew Hedger's own would not have tempted him. The foolish frizzle of bacon sang in his ears as he walked from end to end of the room; an illusion of his fancy pricked by a frost-edged appetite. But the anticipated contest with Diana checked and numbed the craving. Was Warwick a man to proceed to extremities on a mad suspicion?--What kind of proof had he? Redworth summoned the portrait of Mr. Warwick before him, and beheld a sweeping of close eyes in cloud, a long upper lip in cloud; the rest of him was all cloud. As usual with these conjurations of a face, the index of the nature conceived by him displayed itself, and no more; but he took it for the whole physiognomy, and pronounced of the husband thus delineated, that those close eyes of the long upper lip would both suspect and proceed madly. He was invited by Danvers to enter the dining-room. There Diana joined him. 'The best of a dinner on bread and butter is, that one is ready for |
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