The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Terrible Temptation, by Charles Reade

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Title: A Terrible Temptation
A Story of To-Day

Author: Charles Reade

Release Date: April, 2005 [EBook #7895]
Posting Date: July 22, 2009

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A TERRIBLE TEMPTATION ***

Produced by James Rusk

A TERRIBLE TEMPTATION

A STORY OF TO-DAY

By Charles Reade

CHAPTER I.

THE morning-room of a large house in Portman Square, London.

A gentleman in the prime of life stood with his elbow on the broad
mantel-piece, and made himself agreeable to a young lady, seated a
little way off, playing at work.

To the ear he was only conversing, but his eyes dwelt on her with
loving admiration all the time. Her posture was favorable to this
furtive inspection, for she leaned her fair head over her work with a
pretty, modest, demure air, that seemed to say, "I suspect I am being
admired: I will not look to see: I might have to check it."

The gentleman's features were ordinary, except his brow--that had power
in it--but he had the beauty of color; his sunburned features glowed
with health, and his eye was bright. On the whole, rather good-looking
when he smiled, but ugly when he frowned; for his frown was a scowl,
and betrayed a remarkable power of hating.

Miss Arabella Bruce was a beauty. She had glorious masses of dark red
hair, and a dazzling white neck to set it off; large, dove-like eyes,
and a blooming oval face, which would have been classical if her lips
had been thin and finely chiseled; but here came in her Anglo-Saxon
breed, and spared society a Minerva by giving her two full and rosy
lips. They made a smallish mouth at rest, but parted ever so wide when
they smiled, and ravished the beholder with long, even rows of dazzling
white teeth.

Her figure was tall and rather slim, but not at all commanding. There
are people whose very bodies express character; and this tall, supple,
graceful frame of Bella Bruce breathed womanly subservience; so did her
gestures. She would take up or put down her own scissors half timidly,
and look around before threading her needle, as if to