Скорбь сатаны/The Tribulation of Satan (Мари Корелли). Страница 8 из 279

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71

"

Yes

I

am

here

,

"

I

said

--

"

And

being

here

I

am

ashamed

to

give

you

such

a

welcome

as

this

.

You

are

Prince

Rimânez

of

course

;

--

I

have

just

read

your

note

which

prepared

me

for

your

visit

,

but

I

was

hoping

that

my

landlady

,

finding

the

room

in

darkness

,

would

conclude

I

was

out

,

and

show

you

downstairs

again

.

You

see

I

am

perfectly

frank

!

"

72

"

You

are

indeed

!

"

returned

the

stranger

,

his

deep

tones

still

vibrating

with

the

silvery

clang

of

veiled

satire

--

"

So

frank

that

I

can

not

fail

to

understand

you

.

Briefly

,

and

without

courtesy

,

you

resent

my

visit

this

evening

and

wish

I

had

not

come

!

"

73

This

open

declaration

of

my

mood

sounded

so

brusque

that

I

made

haste

to

deny

it

,

though

I

knew

it

to

be

true

.

Truth

,

even

in

trifles

,

always

seems

unpleasant

!

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74

"

Pray

do

not

think

me

so

churlish

,

"

--

I

said

--

"

The

fact

is

,

I

only

opened

your

letter

a

few

minutes

ago

,

and

before

I

could

make

any

arrangements

to

receive

you

,

the

lamp

went

out

,

with

the

awkward

result

that

I

am

forced

to

greet

you

in

this

unsociable

darkness

,

which

is

almost

too

dense

to

shake

hands

in

.

"

75

"

Shall

we

try

?

"

my

visitor

enquired

,

with

a

sudden

softening

of

accent

that

gave

his

words

a

singular

charm

;

"

Here

is

my

hand

--

if

yours

has

any

friendly

instinct

in

it

the

twain

will

meet

--

quite

blindly

and

without

guidance

!

"

76

I

at

once

extended

my

hand

,

and

it

was

instantly

clasped

in

a

warm

and

somewhat

masterful

manner

.

At

that

moment

a

light

flashed

on

the

scene

--

my

landlady

entered

,

bearing

what

she

called

'

her

best

lamp

'

alit

,

and

set

it

on

the

table

.

I

believe

she

uttered

some

exclamation

of

surprise

at

seeing

me

--

she

may

have

said

anything

or

nothing

--

I

did

not

hear

or

heed

,

so

entirely

was

I

amazed

and

fascinated

by

the

appearance

of

the

man

whose

long

slender

hand

still

held

mine

.

I

am

myself

an

average

good

height

,

but

he

was

fully

half

a

head

taller

than

I

,

if

not

more

than

that

--

and

as

I

looked

straightly

at

him

,

I

thought

I

had

never

seen

so

much

beauty

and

intellectuality

combined

in

the

outward

personality

of

any

human

being

.

The

finely

shaped

head

denoted

both

power

and

wisdom

,

and

was

nobly

poised

on

such

shoulders

as

might

have

befitted

a

Hercules

--

the

countenance

was

a

pure

oval

,

and

singularly

pale

,

this

complexion

intensifying

the

almost

fiery

brilliancy

of

the

full

dark

eyes

,

which

had

in

them

a

curious

and

wonderfully

attractive

look

of

mingled

mirth

and

misery

.

77

The

mouth

was

perhaps

the

most

telling

feature

in

this

remarkable

face

--

set

in

the

perfect

curve

of

beauty

,

it

was

yet

firm

,

determined

,

and

not

too

small

,

thus

escaping

effeminacy

--

and

I

noted

that

in

repose

it

expressed

bitterness

,

disdain

and

even

cruelty

.

But

with

the

light

of

a

smile

upon

it

,

it

signified

,

or

seemed

to

signify

,

something

more

subtle

than

any

passion

to

which

we

can

give

a

name

,

and

already

with

the

rapidity

of

a

lightning

flash

,

I

caught

myself

wondering

what

that

mystic

undeclared

something

might

be

.

At

a

glance

I

comprehended

these

primary

details

of

my

new

acquaintance

's

eminently

prepossessing

appearance

,

and

when

my

hand

dropped

from

his

close

grasp

I

felt

as

if

I

had

known

him

all

my

life

!

And

now

face

to

face

with

him

in

the

bright

lamp-light

,

I

remembered

my

actual

surroundings

--

the

bare

cold

room

,

the

lack

of

fire

,

the

black

soot

that

sprinkled

the

nearly

carpetless

floor

--

my

own

shabby

clothes

and

deplorable

aspect

,

as

compared

with

this

regal-looking

individual

,

who

carried

the

visible

evidence

of

wealth

upon

him

in

the

superb

Russian

sables

that

lined

and

bordered

his

long

overcoat

which

he

now

partially

unfastened

and

threw

open

with

a

carelessly

imperial

air

,

the

while

he

regarded

me

,

smiling

.

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78

"

I

know

I

have

come

at

an

awkward

moment

,

"

he

said

--

"

I

always

do

!

It

is

my

peculiar

misfortune

.

Well-bred

people

never

intrude

where

they

are

not

wanted

--

and

in

this

particular

I

'm

afraid

my

manners

leave

much

to

be

desired

.

79

Try

to

forgive

me

if

you

can

,

for

the

sake

of

this

,

"

--

and

he

held

out

a

letter

addressed

to

me

in

my

friend

Carrington

's

familiar

handwriting

.

"

And

permit

me

to

sit

down

while

you

read

my

credentials

.

"

80

He

took

a

chair

and

seated

himself

.

I

observed

his

handsome

face

and

easy

attitude

with

renewed

admiration

.

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