Thrice Lost, Thrice Won — page 175: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

170 he flung away his biniehoe' in ‘diuseate “aa sat dome moodily, © in the sunlit window, to smoke and exercise his beantifal _ ros familiar. But the black, starry eyes, long, limpid, and vel- __ vety—the cheeks of pomegranate bloom—the 2 ene) | rose-red lips—pursued him until he almost went mad. He threw his cheroot-out of the window with a deep oath at last, and taking up his ‘pencil, began drawing that haunting face. This soothed him. Again and again he drew it—now ‘in. -pro- ° fs file, now sad, now gay, but over. and over and over again. i The wintry November afternoon waned, the first dressing- _ bell rang, and still he sat gazing with elowing eyes on that matchless countenance. His wife’s soft tap at the door was unheard. She turned the handle and entered, still unheard; she crossed the room lightly, with a half sinile on her li ps, ie to surprise him with a word and caress. She bent lightly ect, over his shoulder, and saw his afternoon’ g work, An Sy SAL ata later and he was ‘alone. ‘ The loud clang of the dinner-bell aroused him. ee started | up, and for the first time his folly dawned upon him in its '- true light. With a second passionate imprecation, he snatched up his hand full of drawings ard flung them into e the blazing fire. “Good Heavens!” he said, “what a fool, ‘what : a ottod | -ass, what a scoundrel I am! That woman is not worth the paper on which I have drawn her fatal face, and here I lose my whole day idiotically over her. And I a married man, — too! Ill tear her out of my imbecile heart ° a have to tear. i it out by the roots.” ce He ground his teeth indices as he ran up x his Pera) | His toilet was necessarily of the briefest; but when itis only _ a man’s wife and housekeeper who await him, what need to heey be particular ? aS “T have detained you, I am nfrain ” he said, as he idersa is the dining-room; “but up in my studio I forget sublunary things. And how do you feel after your first ball, Kssie, end fe how “did you enjoy yourself ?” | “Not very well, 1 am afraid, ” Mrs. ‘Hoigaiton gicteaned ae her. “She looks ‘wretchedly to-day. Ah, my dear Mr. Bart- ram, I fear you will never make her a woman of. society! fd One night’s dissipation wilts the roses of a whole summer.” “Heaven forbid that I should ever make her a ‘woman of society ! ” Mr. Bartram answered, bitterly; “you and I know what they are,.Mrs. Hamilton. You are pale, Eesie—fagged | r oat to death, I should say; and yet you danced very little.” a Estella murmured something, her lips ‘quivering, her eyes” oH 4 filling; but a“lump rose in her throat, and choked her WOUCe,.-) | And he could wonder at her Bee, checks anit dimmed eye ae we (a “comi ébouk $.c0n n ‘ ae Kod iw a “5 “f yah ar aia Boe sh iNey a a es mate i - “> be > ‘ 3 - . 7 - ‘ ee a! Se ye Sp i ‘ie, “ae ; ~ i » % bed 9 " ? i e ad ; ‘ = : IE OE ee oe EM ae Ase 2 OS