ould not see
the reflections of herself then; they were like so many women petrified
white; but coming near herself you might have seen the tremor in her
lips and hands. She sat so for a long while, knowing little more than
that she was feeling ill, and that those written words kept repeating
themselves to her.

Truly here were poisoned gems, and the poison had entered into this
poor young creature.

After that long while, there was a tap at the door and Grandcourt
entered, dressed for dinner. The sight of him brought a new nervous
shock, and Gwendolen screamed again and again with hysterical violence.
He had expected to see her dressed and smiling, ready to be led down.
He saw her pallid, shrieking as it seemed with terror, the jewels
scattered around her on the floor. Was it a fit of madness?

In some form or other the furies had crossed his threshold.

CHAPTER XXXII.

In all ages it hath been a favorite text that a potent love hath the
nature of an isolated fatality, whereto the mind's opinions and wonted
resolves are altogether alien; as, for example, Daphnis his frenzy,
wherein it had little availed him to have been convinced of Heraclitus
his doctrine; or the philtre-bred passion of Tristan, who, though he
had been as deep as Duns Scotus, would have had his reasoning marred
by that cup too much; or Romeo in his sudden taking for Juliet,
wherein any objections he might have held against Ptolemy had made
little difference to his discourse under the balcony. Yet all love is
not such, even though potent; nay, this passion hath as large scope as
any for allying itself with every operation of the soul: so that it
shall acknowledge an effect from the imagined light of unproven
firmaments, and have its scale set to the grander orbits of what hath
been and shall be.

Deronda, on his return to town, could assure Sir Hugo of his having
lodged in Grandcourt's mind a distinct understanding that he could get
fifty thousand pounds by giving up a prospect which was probably
distant, and not absolutely certain; but he had no further sign of
Grandcourt's disposition in the matter than that he was evidently
inclined to keep up friendly communications.

"And what did you think of the future bride on a nearer survey?" said
Sir Hugo.

"I thought better of her than I did in Leubronn. Roulette was not a
good setting for her; it brought out something of the demon. A