She was astonished at her excitement, which
seemed exaggerated beyond reason, and ridiculous, yet she could not
conquer it; and the trembling that ran through her body made her knees
feel very weak, after she had stood for perhaps half an hour. Looking
round, she noticed that there were a good many brown leather-covered
seats along the mirrored and gilded walls. Most of these were fully
occupied by resting men and women, some very old and tired looking,
others eagerly counting money, or jotting down notes in little books or
on cards. As she looked, an extraordinary woman much bejewelled, with a
face a century old under bright red hair, and a hat for a lovely young
girl, jumped abruptly up from the seat nearest Mary, and almost ran to
one of the tables, where she flung herself into the crowd, like a diver
into a wave. Her place on the bench was left empty, and Mary took it, to
follow the example of others and count her money while resting.
Sitting down, she had on one side a young and pretty woman in a charming
dress and hat, more suitable for a past June than a present December,
even a Riviera December. Her face, too, which she turned with a gaze of
interest on Mary and her costume, was slightly, pathetically faded, like
the petals of a white rose gathered while in bud and pressed between the
pages of a book. She was like a charming wax doll which had lost its
colour by being placed too near a warm fire.
On the other side was a very old man, gray as a ghost, who showed no
sign of knowing that he had a new neighbour.
Pages:
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112