Shelaughedouthertriumph。
\"No，no，no！Mytrunkhasn’tcome，andthisisonlymyoldragofyesterday——butIneverknewthetricktofail！\"And，ashestared：\"Yousee，\"shejoyouslyexplained，\"I’vealwayshadtodressinallkindsofdrearyleft—overs，andsometimes，wheneverybodyelsewassmartandnew，itusedtomakemeawfullymiserable。Sooneday，whenMrs。Murrettdraggedmedownunexpectedlytofillaplaceatdinner，I
suddenlythoughtI’dtryspinningaroundlikethat，andsaytoeveryone：’WELL，WHATDOYOUTHINKOFME？’And，doyouknow，theywerealltakenin，includingMrs。Murrett，whodidn’trecognizemyoldturnedanddyedrags，andtoldmeafterwarditwasawfullybadformtodressasifIweresomebodythatpeoplewouldexpecttoknow！Andeversince，wheneverI’veparticularlywantedtolooknice，I’vejustaskedpeoplewhattheythoughtofmynewfrock；andthey’realways，alwaystakenin！\"
ShedramatizedherexplanationsovividlythatDarrowfeltasifhispointweregained。
\"Ah，butthisconfirmsyourvocation——ofcourse，\"hecried，\"youmustseeCerdine！\"and，seeingherfacefallatthisreminderofthechangeinherprospects，hehastenedtosetforthhisplan。Ashedidso，hesawhoweasyitwastoexplainthingstoher。Shewouldeitheraccepthissuggestion，orshewouldnot：butatleastshewouldwastenotimeinprotestationsandobjections，oranyvainsacrificetotheidolsofconformity。Theconvictionthatonecould，onanygivenpoint，almostpredicatethisofher，gavehimthesenseofhavingadvancedfarenoughinherintimacytourgehisargumentsagainstahastypursuitofherfriends。
Yes，itwouldcertainlybefoolish——sheatonceagreed——inthecaseofsuchdearindefiniteangelsastheFarlows，todashoffafterthemwithoutmorepositiveproofthattheywereestablishedatJoigny，andsoestablishedthattheycouldtakeherin。Sheowneditwasbuttooprobablethattheyhadgonethereto\"cutdown\"，andmightbedoingsoinquarterstoocontractedtoreceiveher；anditwouldbeunfair，onthatchance，toimposeherselfonthemunannounced。ThesimplestwayofgettingfartherlightonthequestionwouldbetogobacktotheruedelaChaise，where，atthatmoreconversablehour，theconciergemightbelesscharyofdetail；andshecoulddecideonhernextstepinthelightofsuchfactsasheimparted。
Pointbypoint，shefellinwiththesuggestion，recognizing，inthelightoftheirunexplainedflight，thattheFarlowsmightindeedbeinasituationonwhichonecouldnottoorashlyintrude。Herconcernforherfriendsseemedtohaveeffacedallthoughtofherself，andthislittleindicationofcharactergaveDarrowaquitedisproportionatepleasure。SheagreedthatitwouldbewelltogoatoncetotheruedelaChaise，butmethisproposalthattheyshoulddrivebythedeclarationthatitwasa\"waste\"nottowalkinParis；sotheysetoffonfootthroughthecheerfultumultofthestreets。
Thewalkwaslongenoughforhimtolearnmanythingsabouther。Thestormofthepreviousnighthadclearedtheair，andParisshoneinmorningbeautyunderaskythatwasallbroadwetwashesofwhiteandblue；butDarrowagainnoticedthathervisualsensitivenesswaslesskeenthanherfeelingforwhathewassurethegoodFarlows——whomhealreadyseemedtoknow——wouldhavecalled\"thehumaninterest。\"Sheseemedhardlyconsciousofsensationsofformandcolour，orofanyimaginativesuggestion，andthespectaclebeforethem——always，initsscenicsplendour，somovingtohercompanion——brokeup，underherscrutiny，intoathousandminorpoints：thethingsintheshops，thetypesofcharacterandmannerofoccupationshowninthepassingfaces，thestreetsigns，thenamesofthehotelstheypassed，themotleybrightnessoftheflower—carts，theidentityofthechurchesandpublicbuildingsthatcaughthereye。Butwhatshelikedbest，hedivined，wasthemerefactofbeingfreetowalkabroadinthebrightair，hertonguerattlingonasitpleased，whileherfeetkepttimetothemightyorchestrationofthecity’ssounds。Herdelightinthefreshair，inthefreedom，lightandsparkleofthemorning，gavehimasuddeninsightintoherstifledpast；norwasitindifferenttohimtoperceivehowmuchhispresenceevidentlyaddedtoherenjoyment。Ifonlyasasympatheticear，heguessedwhathemustbeworthtoher。
Thegirlhadbeendyingforsomeonetotalkto，someonebeforewhomshecouldunfoldandshakeouttothelightherpoorlittleshut—awayemotions。Yearsofrepressionwererevealedinhersuddenburstofconfidence；andthepitysheinspiredmadeDarrowlongtofillherfewfreehourstothebrim。
Shehadthegiftofrapiddefinition，andhisquestionsastothelifeshehadledwiththeFarlows，duringtheinterregnumbetweentheHokeandMurretteras，calledupbeforehimaqueerlittlecornerofParisianexistence。TheFarlowsthemselves——heapainter，shea\"magazinewriter\"——
rosebeforehiminalltheirincorruptiblesimplicity：anelderlyNewEnglandcouple，withvagueyearningsforenfranchisement，wholivedinParisasifitwereaMassachusettssuburb，anddwelthopefullyonthe\"higherside\"oftheGallicnature。WithequalvividnessshesetbeforehimthecomponentfiguresofthecirclefromwhichMrs。Farlowdrewthe\"InnerGlimpsesofFrenchLife\"
appearingoverhernameinaleadingNewEnglandjournal：
theRoumanianladywhohadsentthemticketsforhertragedy，anelderlyFrenchgentlemanwho，onthestrengthofaweek’sstayatFolkestone，translatedEnglishfictionfortheprovincialpress，aladyfromWichita，Kansas，whoadvocatedfreeloveandtheabolitionofthecorset，aclergyman’swidowfromTorquaywhohadwrittenan\"EnglishLadies’GuidetoForeignGalleries\"andaRussiansculptorwholivedonnutsandwas\"almostcertainly\"ananarchist。
Itwasthisnucleus，anditsouterringofmusical，architecturalandotherAmericanstudents，whichposedsuccessivelytoMrs。Farlow’sversatilefancyasacentreof\"UniversityLife\"，a\"SalonoftheFaubourgSt。Germain\"，agroupofParisian\"Intellectuals\"ora\"Cross—sectionofMontmartre\"；butevenherfacultyforextractingfromitthemostvariedliteraryeffectshadnotsufficedtocreateapermanentdemandforthe\"InnerGlimpses\"，andthereweredayswhen——Mr。Farlow’slandscapesbeingequallyunmarketable——atemporarywithdrawaltothecountry（subsequentlyutilizedas\"PeepsintoChateauLife\"）becamenecessarytothecourageouscouple。
FiveyearsofMrs。Murrett’sworld，whileincreasingSophy’stendernessfortheFarlows，hadleftherwithfewillusionsastotheirpowerofadvancingherfortunes；andshedidnotconcealfromDarrowthathertheatricalprojectswereofthevaguest。Theyhungmainlyontheproblematicalgood—willofanancientcomedienne，withwhomMrs。Farlowhadaslightacquaintance（extensivelyutilizedin\"StarsoftheFrenchFootlights\"and\"BehindtheScenesattheFrancais\"），andwhohadonce，withsignsofapproval，heardMissVinerrecitetheNuitdeMai。
\"ButofcourseIknowhowmuchthat’sworth，\"thegirlbrokeoff，withoneofherflashesofshrewdness。\"Andbesides，itisn’tlikelythatapooroldfossillikeMme。Dollecouldgetanybodytolistentohernow，evenifshereallythoughtIhadtalent。Butshemightintroducemetopeople；oratleastgivemeafewtips。IfIcouldmanagetoearnenoughtopayforlessonsI’dgostraighttosomeofthebigpeopleandworkwiththem。I’mratherhopingtheFarlowsmayfindmeachanceofthatkind——anengagementwithsomeAmericanfamilyinPariswhowouldwanttobe’goneround’withliketheHokes，andwho’dleavemetimeenoughtostudy。\"
IntheruedelaChaisetheylearnedlittleexcepttheexactaddressoftheFarlows，andthefactthattheyhadsub—lettheirflatbeforeleaving。Thisinformationobtained，DarrowproposedtoMissVinerthattheyshouldstrollalongthequaystoalittlerestaurantlookingoutontheSeine，andthere，overtheplatdujour，considerthenextsteptobetaken。Thelongwalkhadgivenhercheeksaglowindicativeofwholesomehunger，andshemadenodifficultyaboutsatisfyingitinDarrow’scompany。RegainingtherivertheywalkedoninthedirectionofNotreDame，delayednowandagainbytheyoungman’sirresistibletendencytolingeroverthebookstalls，andbyhisever—freshresponsetotheshiftingbeautiesofthescene。FortwoyearshiseyeshadbeensubduedtotheatmosphericeffectsofLondon，tothemysteriousfusionofdarkly—piledcityandlow—lyingbituminoussky；andthetransparencyoftheFrenchair，whichleftthegreengardensandsilverystonessoclassicallyclearyetsosoftlyharmonized，struckhimashavingakindofconsciousintelligence。Everylineofthearchitecture，everyarchofthebridges，theverysweepofthestrongbrightriverbetweenthem，whilecontributingtothiseffect，sentfortheachaseparateappealtosomesensitivememory；sothat，forDarrow，awalkthroughtheParisstreetswasalwaysliketheunrollingofavasttapestryfromwhichcountlessstoredfragranceswereshakenout。
Itwasaproofoftherichnessandmultiplicityofthespectaclethatitserved，withoutincongruity，forsodifferentapurposeasthebackgroundofMissViner’senjoyment。Asameredrop—sceneforherpersonaladventureitwasjustasmuchinitsplaceasintheevocationofgreatperspectivesoffeeling。Forher，asheagainperceivedwhentheywereseatedattheirtableinalowwindowabovetheSeine，Pariswas\"Paris\"byvirtueofallitsentertainingdetails，itsendlessingenuitiesofpleasantness。Whereelse，forinstance，couldonefindthedearlittledishesofhorsd’oeuvre，thesymmetrically—
laidanchoviesandradishes，thethingoldenshellsofbutter，orthewoodstrawberriesandbrownjarsofcreamthatgavetotheirrepastthelastrefinementofrusticity？
Hadn’thenoticed，sheasked，thatcookingalwaysexpressedthenationalcharacter，andthatFrenchfoodwascleverandamusingjustbecausethepeoplewere？Andinprivatehouses，everywhere，howthedishesalwaysresembledthetalk——howtheverysameplatitudesseemedtogointopeople’smouthsandcomeoutofthem？Couldn’theseejustwhatkindofmenuitwouldmake，ifafairywavedawandandsuddenlyturnedtheconversationataLondondinnerintojointsandpuddings？ShealwaysthoughtitagoodsignwhenpeoplelikedIrishstew；itmeantthattheyenjoyedchangesandsurprises，andtakinglifeasitcame；andsuchabeautifulParisianversionofthedishasthenavarinthatwasjustbeingsetbeforethemwasliketheverybestkindoftalk——thekindwhenonecouldnevertellbefore—handjustwhatwasgoingtobesaid！
Darrow，ashewatchedherenjoymentoftheirinnocentfeast，wonderedifhervividnessandvivacityweresignsofhercalling。Shewasthekindofgirlinwhomcertainpeoplewouldinstantlyhaverecognizedthehistrionicgift。Butexperiencehadledhimtothinkthat，exceptatthecreativemoment，thedivineflameburnslowinitspossessors。Theoneortworeallyintelligentactresseshehadknownhadstruckhim，inconversation，aseitherbovineorprimitively\"jolly\"。Hehadanotionthat，saveinthemindofgenius，thecreativeprocessabsorbstoomuchofthewholestuffofbeingtoleavemuchsurplusforpersonalexpression；andthegirlbeforehim，withherchangingfaceandflexiblefancies，seemeddestinedtoworkinlifeitselfratherthaninanyofitscounterfeits。
ThecoffeeandliqueurswerealreadyonthetablewhenhermindsuddenlysprangbacktotheFarlows。Shejumpedupwithoneofhersubversivemovementsanddeclaredthatshemusttelegraphatonce。Darrowcalledforwritingmaterialsandroomwasmadeatherelbowfortheparchedink—bottleandsaturatedblotteroftheParisianrestaurant；butthemeresightofthesejadedimplementsseemedtoparalyzeMissViner’sfaculties。Shehungoverthetelegraph—formwithanxiously—drawnbrow，thetipofthepen—handlepressedagainstherlip；andatlengthsheraisedhertroubledeyestoDarrow’s。
\"Isimplycan’tthinkhowtosayit。\"
\"What——thatyou’restayingovertoseeCerdine？\"
\"ButAMI——amI，really？\"Thejoyofitflamedoverherface。
Darrowlookedathiswatch。\"YoucouldhardlygetananswertoyourtelegramintimetotakeatraintoJoignythisafternoon，evenifyoufoundyourfriendscouldhaveyou。\"
Shemusedforamoment，tappingherlipwiththepen。\"ButI
mustletthemknowI’mhere。ImustfindoutassoonaspossibleiftheyCAN，haveme。\"Shelaidthependowndespairingly。\"IneverCOULDwriteatelegram！\"shesighed。
\"Tryaletter，thenandtellthemyou’llarrivetomorrow。\"
Thissuggestionproducedimmediaterelief，andshegaveanenergeticdabattheink—bottle；butafteranotherintervalofuncertainscratchingshepausedagain。\"Oh，it’sfearful！
Idon’tknowwhatonearthtosay。Iwouldn’tfortheworldhavethemknowhowbeastlyMrs。Murrett’sbeen。\"
Darrowdidnotthinkitnecessarytoanswer。Itwasnobusinessofhis，afterall。Helitacigarandleanedbackinhisseat，lettinghiseyestaketheirfillofindolentpleasure。Inthethroesofinventionshehadpushedbackherhat，looseningthestraylockwhichhadinvitedhistouchthenightbefore。Afterlookingatitforawhilehestoodupandwanderedtothewindow。
Behindhimheheardherpenscrapeon。
\"Idon’twanttoworrythem——I’msocertainthey’vegotbothersoftheirown。\"Thefalteringscratchesceasedagain。
\"IwishIweren’tsuchanidiotaboutwriting：allthewordsgetfrightenedandscurryawaywhenItrytocatchthem。\"
Heglancedbackatherwithasmileasshebentabovehertasklikeaschool—girlstrugglingwitha\"composition。\"Herflushedcheekandfrowningbrowshowedthatherdifficultywasgenuineandnotanartlessdevicetodrawhimtoherside。Shewasreallypowerlesstoputherthoughtsinwriting，andtheinabilityseemedcharacteristicofherquickimpressionablemind，andoftheincessantcome—and—goofhersensations。HethoughtofAnnaLeath’sletters，orratherofthefewhehadreceived，yearsago，fromthegirlwhohadbeenAnnaSummers。Hesawtheslenderfirmstrokesofthepen，recalledtheclearstructureofthephrases，and，byanabruptassociationofideas，rememberedthat，atthatveryhour，justsuchadocumentmightbeawaitinghimatthehotel。
Whatifitwerethere，indeed，andhadbroughthimacompleteexplanationofhertelegram？Therevulsionoffeelingproducedbythisthoughtmadehimlookatthegirlwithsuddenimpatience。Shestruckhimaspositivelystupid，andhewonderedhowhecouldhavewastedhalfhisdaywithher，whenallthewhileMrs。Leath’slettermightbelyingonhistable。Atthatmoment，ifhecouldhavechosen，hewouldhavelefthiscompaniononthespot；buthehadheronhishands，andmustaccepttheconsequences。
Someoddintuitionseemedtomakeherconsciousofhischangeofmood，forshesprangfromherseat，crumplingtheletterinherhand。
\"I’mtoostupid；butIwon’tkeepyouanylonger。I’llgobacktothehotelandwritethere。\"
Hercolourdeepened，andforthefirsttime，astheireyesmet，henoticedafaintembarrassmentinhers。Coulditbethathisnearnesswas，afterall，thecauseofherconfusion？Thethoughtturnedhisvagueimpatiencewithherintoadefiniteresentmenttowardhimself。Therewasreallynoexcuseforhishavingblunderedintosuchanadventure。
WhyhadhenotshippedthegirlofftoJoignybytheeveningtrain，insteadofurginghertodelay，andusingCerdineasapretext？Pariswasfullofpeopleheknew，andhisannoyancewasincreasedbythethoughtthatsomefriendofMrs。Leath’smightseehimattheplay，andreporthispresencetherewithasuspiciouslygood—lookingcompanion。
Theideawasdistinctlydisagreeable：hedidnotwantthewomanheadoredtothinkhecouldforgetherforamoment。
Andbythistimehehadfullypersuadedhimselfthataletterfromherwasawaitinghim，andhadevengonesofarastoimaginethatitscontentsmightannulthewriter’stelegraphedinjunction，andcallhimtohersideatonce……
V
Attheporter’sdeskabrief\"Pasdelettres\"felldestructivelyonthefabricofthesehopes。
Mrs。Leathhadnotwritten——shehadnottakenthetroubletoexplainhertelegram。Darrowturnedawaywithasharppangofhumiliation。Herfrugalsilencemockedhisprodigalityofhopesandfears。Hehadputhisquestiontotheporteroncebefore，onreturningtothehotelafterluncheon；andnow，comingbackagaininthelateafternoon，hewasmetbythesamedenial。Thesecondpostwasin，andhadbroughthimnothing。
AglanceathiswatchshowedthathehadbarelytimetodressbeforetakingMissVinerouttodine；butasheturnedtotheliftanewthoughtstruckhim，andhurryingbackintothehallhedashedoffanothertelegramtohisservant：
\"HaveyouforwardedanyletterwithFrenchpostmarktoday？
TelegraphanswerTerminus。\"
Somekindofreplywouldbecertaintoreachhimonhisreturnfromthetheatre，andhewouldthenknowdefinitelywhetherMrs。Leathmeanttowriteornot。Hehasteneduptohisroomanddressedwithalighterheart。
MissViner’svagranttrunkhadfinallyfounditswaytoitsowner；and，cladinsuchmodestsplendourasitfurnished，sheshoneatDarrowacrosstheirrestauranttable。Inthereactionofhiswoundedvanityhefoundherprettierandmoreinterestingthanbefore。Herdress，slopingawayfromthethroat，showedthegracefulsetofherheadonitsslenderneck，andthewidebrimofherhatarchedaboveherhairlikeaduskyhalo。Pleasuredancedinhereyesandonherlips，andassheshoneonhimbetweenthecandle—shadesDarrowfeltthatheshouldnotbeatallsorrytobeseenwithherinpublic。Heevensentacarelessglanceabouthiminthevaguehopethatitmightfallonanacquaintance。
Atthetheatrehervivacitysankintoabreathlesshush，andshesatintentinhercorneroftheirbaignoire，withthegazeofaneophyteabouttobeinitiatedintothesacredmysteries。Darrowplacedhimselfbehindher，thathemightcatchherprofilebetweenhimselfandthestage。Hewastouchedbytheyouthfulseriousnessofherexpression。Inspiteoftheexperiencesshemusthavehad，andofthetwenty—fouryearstowhichsheowned，shestruckhimasintrinsicallyyoung；andhewonderedhowsoevanescentaqualitycouldhavebeenpreservedinthedesiccatingMurrettair。Astheplayprogressedhenoticedthatherimmobilitywastraversedbyswiftflashesofperception。Shewasnotmissinganything，andherintensityofattentionwhenCerdinewasonthestagedrewananxiouslinebetweenherbrows。
Afterthefirstactsheremainedforafewminutesraptandmotionless；thensheturnedtohercompanionwithaquickpatterofquestions。Hegatheredfromthemthatshehadbeenlessinterestedinfollowingthegeneraldriftoftheplaythaninobservingthedetailsofitsinterpretation。
Everygestureandinflectionofthegreatactress’shadbeenmarkedandanalyzed；andDarrowfeltasecretgratificationinbeingappealedtoasanauthorityonthehistrionicart。
Hisinterestinithadhithertobeenmerelythatofthecultivatedyoungmancuriousofallformsofartisticexpression；butinreplytoherquestionshefoundthingstosayaboutitwhichevidentlystruckhislistenerasimpressiveandoriginal，andwithwhichhehimselfwasnot，onthewhole，dissatisfied。MissVinerwasmuchmoreconcernedtohearhisviewsthantoexpressherown，andthedeferencewithwhichshereceivedhiscommentscalledfromhimmoreideasaboutthetheatrethanhehadeversupposedhimselftopossess。
Withthesecondactshebegantogivemoreattentiontothedevelopmentoftheplay，thoughherinterestwasexcitedratherbywhatshecalled\"thestory\"thanbytheconflictofcharacterproducingit。Oddlycombinedwithhersharpapprehensionofthingstheatrical，herknowledgeoftechnical\"dodges\"andgreen—roomprecedents，herglibnessabout\"lines\"and\"curtains\"，wastheprimitivesimplicityofherattitudetowardthetaleitself，astowardsomethingthatwas\"reallyhappening\"andatwhichoneassistedasatastreet—accidentoraquarreloverheardinthenextroom。
ShewantedtoknowifDarrowthoughtthelovers\"reallywould\"beinvolvedinthecatastrophethatthreatenedthem，andwhenheremindedherthathispredictionsweredisqualifiedbyhishavingalreadyseentheplay，sheexclaimed：\"Oh，then，pleasedon’ttellmewhat’sgoingtohappen！\"andthenextmomentwasquestioninghimaboutCerdine’stheatricalsituationandherprivatehistory。Onthelatterpointsomeofherenquirieswereofakindthatitisnotinthehabitofyounggirlstomake，oreventoknowhowtomake；butherapparentunconsciousnessofthefactseemedrathertoreflectonherpastassociatesthanonherself。
Whenthesecondactwasover，Darrowsuggestedtheirtakingaturninthefoyer；andseatedononeofitscrampedredvelvetsofastheywatchedthecrowdsurgeupanddowninaglareoflightsandgilding。Then，asshecomplainedoftheheat，heledherthroughthepresstothecongestedcafeatthefootofthestairs，whereorangeadeswerethrustatthembetweentheshouldersofpackedconsommateursandDarrow，lightingacigarettewhileshesuckedherstraw，knewtheprimitivecomplacencyofthemanatwhosecompanionothermenstare。
Onacorneroftheirtablelayasmearedcopyofatheatricaljournal。ItcaughtSophy’seyeandafterporingoverthepageshelookedupwithanexcitedexclamation。
’They’regivingOedipetomorrowafternoonattheFrancais！Isupposeyou’veseenitheapsandheapsoftimes？\"
Hesmiledbackather。\"Youmustseeittoo。We’llgotomorrow。\"
Shesighedathissuggestion，butwithoutdiscardingit。
\"HowcanI？ThelasttrainforJoignyleavesatfour。\"
\"Butyoudon’tknowyetthatyourfriendswillwantyou。\"
\"Ishallknowtomorrowearly。IaskedMrs。Farlowtotelegraphassoonasshegotmyletter。\"
AtwingeofcompunctionshotthroughDarrow。Herwordsrecalledtohimthatontheirreturntothehotelafterluncheonshehadgivenhimherlettertopost，andthathehadneverthoughtofitagain。Nodoubtitwasstillinthepocketofthecoathehadtakenoffwhenhedressedfordinner。Inhisperturbationhepushedbackhischair，andthemovementmadeherlookupathim。
\"What’sthematter？\"
\"Nothing。Only——youknowIdon’tfancythatlettercanhavecaughtthisafternoon’spost。\"
\"Notcaughtit？Whynot？\"
\"Why，I’mafraiditwillhavebeentoolate。\"Hebenthisheadtolightanothercigarette。
Shestruckherhandstogetherwithagesturewhich，tohisamusement，henoticedshehadcaughtfromCerdine。
\"Oh，dear，Ihadn’tthoughtofthat！Butsurelyitwillreachtheminthemorning？\"
\"Sometimeinthemorning，Isuppose。YouknowtheFrenchprovincialpostisneverinahurry。Idon’tbelieveyourletterwouldhavebeendeliveredthiseveninginanycase。\"
Asthisideaoccurredtohimhefelthimselfalmostabsolved。
\"Perhaps，then，Ioughttohavetelegraphed？\"
\"I’lltelegraphforyouinthemorningifyousayso。\"
Thebellannouncingthecloseoftheentr’—acteshrilledthroughthecafe，andshesprangtoherfeet。
\"Oh，come，come！Wemustn’tmissit！\"
InstantlyforgetfuloftheFarlows，sheslippedherarmthroughhisandturnedtopushherwaybacktothetheatre。
Assoonasthecurtainwentupsheaspromptlyforgothercompanion。Watchingherfromthecornertowhichhehadreturned，Darrowsawthatgreatwavesofsensationwerebeatingdeliciouslyagainstherbrain。Itwasasthougheverystarvedsensibilitywerethrowingoutfeelerstothemountingtide；asthougheverythingshewasseeing，hearing，imagining，rushedintofillthevoidofallshehadalwaysbeendenied。
Darrow，asheobservedher，againfeltadetachedenjoymentinherpleasure。Shewasanextraordinaryconductorofsensation：sheseemedtotransmititphysically，inemanationsthatsettheblooddancinginhisveins。Hehadnotoftenhadtheopportunityofstudyingtheeffectsofaperfectlyfreshimpressiononsoresponsiveatemperament，andhefeltafleetingdesiretomakeitschordsvibrateforhisownamusement。
Attheendofthenextactshediscoveredwithdismaythatintheirtransittothecafeshehadlostthebeautifulpicturedprogrammehehadboughtforher。Shewantedtogobackandhuntforit，butDarrowassuredherthathewouldhavenotroubleingettingheranother。Whenhewentoutinquestofitshefollowedhimprotestinglytothedoorofthebox，andhesawthatshewasdistressedatthethoughtofhishavingtospendanadditionalfrancforher。ThisfrugalitysmoteDarrowbyitscontrasttohernaturalbrightprofusion；andagainhefeltthedesiretorightsoclumsyaninjustice。
Whenhereturnedtotheboxshewasstillstandinginthedoorway，andhenoticedthathiswerenottheonlyeyesattractedtoher。Thenanotherimpressionsharplydivertedhisattention。AbovethefaggedfacesoftheParisiancrowdhehadcaughtthefreshfaircountenanceofOwenLeathsignallingajoyfulrecognition。Theyoungman，slimandeager，haddetachedhimselffromtwocompanionsofhisowntype，andwasseekingtopushthroughthepresstohisstep—