But all this sophistry was overthrown in a moment by the memory of
one dear glance, when Isabella, off her guard, and her usual hauteur
of manner for the instant, had looked through her eyes the whole
truthfulness of her soul; in short, when her heart, not her head,
had spoken!
Alas! how few of us feel as we do; how few do as we feel!
Perhaps there is no better spot than on shipboard for a dreamer to
be; he has then plenty of time, plenty of space, plenty of theme,
and every surrounding, to turn his thoughts inward upon himself.
Lorenzo Bezan found this so. At times he looked down into the still
depths of the blue water, and longed for the repose that seemed to
look up to him from below the waves. He had thought, perhaps, too
long upon this subject one soft, calm evening, and had indeed
forgotten himself, as it were, and another moment would have seen
the working of what seemed a sort of irresistible charm to him, and
he would have cast himself into that deep, inviting oblivion!
Then a voice seemed to whisper Isabella's name in his ear! He
started, looked about him, and awoke from the fearful charm that
held him. It was his good angel that breathed that name to him then,
and saved him from the curse of the suicide!
From that hour a strange feeling seemed to possess the young
soldier.
Pages:
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150