Possibly the reason of his own excitement lay in the excitement of
another, in the curious preparations, which he had oddly shared, for the
transformation of the unmistakable into the vague. For the transformation
of Cuckoo Bright had been preparing apace, and Julian was looking forward
like a schoolboy to the effect which her novel respectability of
appearance would have upon Valentine. The rouge-box lay lonely and
untouched in a drawer. Even the powder-puff suffered an unaccustomed
neglect. The black gown had been tried on and taught to fit the thin
young figure, and a hat--with only one feather--kept company with the
discarded sarcophagus which had given to Cuckoo her original nickname.
And Cuckoo herself was almost as excited as Francine when she received
her muff. She had not seen Valentine since the day of the tea-party,
yet her attitude of mind had undergone a change towards him, bent to it
probably by her vanity. Ever since Julian had given her the invitation to
the Empire she had displayed a furtive desire to meet him again, and was
perpetually talking of him and asking questions about him. Nevertheless
her fear of him had not died away. Even now she sometimes exclaimed
against him almost with vehemence, and made Julian renew his promise not
to leave her during the evening.
Pages:
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280