Usually swift, almost careless, she was a long time that evening over her toilette.  Her neck was very sunburnt, and she lingered, doubtful whether to hide it with powder, or accept her gipsy colouring.  She did accept it, for she saw that it gave her eyes, so like glacier ice, under their black lashes, and her hair, with its surprising glints of flame colour, a peculiar value.

When the dinner-bell rang she passed her husband’s door without, as usual, knocking, and went down alone.

In the hall she noticed some of the English party of the mountain hut.  They did not greet her, conceiving an immediate interest in the barometer; but she could feel them staring at her very hard.  She sat down to wait, and at once became conscious of the boy coming over from the other side of the room, rather like a person walking in his sleep.  He said not a word.  But how he looked!  And her heart began to beat.  Was this the moment she had longed for?  If it, indeed, had come, dared she take it?  Then she saw her husband descending the stairs, saw him greet the English party, heard the intoning of their drawl.  She looked up at the boy, and said quickly:  “Was it a happy day?” It gave her such delight to keep that look on his face, that look as if he had forgotten everything except just the sight of her.  His eyes seemed to have in them something holy at that moment, something of the wonder-yearning of Nature and of innocence.  It was dreadful to know that in a moment that look must be gone; perhaps never to come back on his face—­that look so precious!  Her husband was approaching now!  Let him see, if he would!  Let him see that someone could adore—­ that she was not to everyone a kind of lower animal.  Yes, he must have seen the boy’s face; and yet his expression never changed.  He noticed nothing!  Or was it that he disdained to notice?

VII

Then followed for young Lennan a strange time, when he never knew from minute to minute whether he was happy—­always trying to be with her, restless if he could not be, sore if she talked with and smiled at others; yet, when he was with her, restless too, unsatisfied, suffering from his own timidity.

One wet morning, when she was playing the hotel piano, and he listening, thinking to have her to himself, there came a young German violinist—­pale, and with a brown, thin-waisted coat, longish hair, and little whiskers—­rather a beast, in fact.  Soon, of course, this young beast was asking her to accompany him—­as if anyone wanted to hear him play his disgusting violin!  Every word and smile that she gave him hurt so, seeing how much more interesting than himself this foreigner was!  And his heart grew heavier and heavier, and he thought:  If she likes him I ought not to mind—­only, I do mind!  How can I help minding?  It was hateful to see her smiling, and the young beast bending down to her.  And they were talking German, so that he could not tell what they were saying, which made it more unbearable.  He had not known there could be such torture.