nd well might his own look
down upon her, burning. The strange compellingness of her power, which
was a thing itself apart from beauty, and would have ruled for her had
she not possessed a single charm, had so increased that he felt himself
change colour at the mere sight of her. Oh! 'twas not the colour and
height and regal shape of her which were her splendour, but this one
Heaven-born, unconquerable thing. Her lip seemed of a deeper scarlet,
the full roundness of her throat rose from among her laces, bound with
a slender circlet of glittering stars, her eyes had grown deeper and
more melting, and yet held a great flame. Nay, she seemed a flame
herself--of life, of love, of spirit which naught could daunt or quell,
and on her high-held imperial head she wore a wreath of roses red as
blood.

"She will look up," he thought, "she will look up at me."

But she did not, though he could have sworn that which he felt should
have arrested her. Somewhat seemed to hold her oblivious of those who
were near her; she gazed straight before her as if expecting to see
something, and as she passed my lord Duke on the landing, a heavy
velvet rose broke from her crown and fell at his very foot.

He bent low to pick it up, the blood surging in his veins--and when he
raised himself, holding it in his hand, she was moving onward through
the crowd which closed behind to gaze and comment on her--and his
kinsman Dunstanwolde came forward from an antechamber, his gentle, high
bred face and sweet grey eyes glowing with greeting.

Those of reflective habit may indeed find cause for thought in
realising the power of small things over great, of rule over important
events, of ordinary social observance over the most powerful emotion a
man or woman may be torn or uplifted by. He whose greatest longing on
earth is to speak face to face to the friend whom ill fortune has
caused to think him false, seeing this same friend in a crowded street
a hundred yards distant, cannot dash the passers-by aside and race
through or leap over them to reach, before it is too late, the beloved
object he beholds about to disappear; he cannot arrest that object with
loud outcries, such conduct being likely to cause him to be taken for a
madman, and restrained by the other lookers-on; the tender woman whose
heart is breaking under the weight of misunderstanding between herself
and him she loves, is powerless to attract and detain him if he passes
her, either unconscio