ull, so burning, blood-red
that in the chastest mind, even a woman's, they must suggest the image
of vampire-like kisses. Take her for all in all, she was a magnificent
creature, this woman of thirty, overflowing with health and life, in
all her triumphant display of full-blown womanly beauty. Not a man in
the hotel but had looked at her in undisguised admiration, and if they
had not yet ventured to make advances to her, it was because she
intimidated them by her cold hauteur, or by the mocking twinkle of her
eye.

Only for Wilhelm, now that she had really taken notice of him, did
those eyes begin to grow soft and gentle, and when they met his turned
meek and harmless, and, in their apparent innocence, seemed to plead to
him for notice, confidence, instruction. He did not remain impervious
to their influence. It afforded him distinct pleasure to sit at table
beside this beautiful woman and show her small attentions. On his long
walks he caught himself thinking deeply about her, while the blood
coursed with unwonted heat through his veins. He marked her entrance
into the dining room or salon by his heart stopping suddenly and then
racing on in wild, irregular beats, and if he looked at her the
indecorous thought came to him that it would be a joy to stroke those
firm, round cheeks, to pass one's fingers gently over those swelling
lips, but more especially to bury one's hands in that flood of silken
hair. These various discoveries rather took him aback, and resulted in
increasing his reserve almost to the point of rudeness. He still only
met her at the table d'hote, and never attempted to approach at any
other time, although she had asked him repeatedly if he did not take
walks or make excursions into the country.

One morning, soon after the conversation about the donkey, he went down
to the beach, where, it being the bathing hour, the whole visiting
population of Ault was assembled. The coast met the sea at this point
as a perpendicular wall of rock a hundred and fifty feet high,
stretching away to the west in an endless line, but on the east side,
sloping gradually down, till about two miles further on, it lost itself
in the flat line of the shore. Where the sweep of the bare, gray cliff
made a slight backward curve, the sea had washed the shingle together
to form a little beach covered with pebbles from the largest to the
smallest size. Here two rows of modest wooden cabins were erected,
which served as bathing hous