\"Whataverystrangetoiletshehasmade!\"hethought;\"simpleandplaintothelastdegree,andyetsingularlyeffectiveandstriking.
Herfingerswereonceloadedwithrings,butshehastakenthemalloff,andnowherhandsareasperfectasherfeatures.Shedoesnotwearasingleornament,savethoseominousponiards.Doesshemeantosignifybythesethatsheiswounded,orthatsheproposestoinflictwounds?Yegods!howstrangely,terribly,exasperatinglybeautifulsheis!Ihavecertainlybothmisjudgedandmisunderstoodher.\"
Thesethoughtspassedthroughhismindashestoleanoccasionalglanceattheirobject,whosatwithherprofiletowardshimalmostinthelineofhisvision.Atthesametimehewasapparentlylisteningtoaprosyandinterminablestoryfromoneofthegroupofwhichhewasamember.Theyhadbeentellinganecdotesoftravel,andthelastspeaker\'sexperiencewas,likehisjourney,longanduninteresting.
VanBergsoonobservedthatmanyothersbesideshimselfwereobservingMissMayhew.Sheseemedtofascinate,perplex,andtroubleallwholookedtowardsher.Thesingularbeautyandstrikingtoiletmightaccount,inpart,forthelingeringglances,butnotfortheperplexityanduneasinesstheycaused.IfIdahadbeendeadherfeaturescouldnothavebeenmorecolorless;andtheyhadastern,hard,desperateexpressionthatwassadlyoutofharmonywithwhatshouldbetheappearanceofahappyyounggirl.
Herpresenceseemedtocauseanincreasingchillandrestraint.