Such was the
liveliness of her face and the beauty of her colouring that there was
not a man into whose eyes at the sight of her there did not leap a
flame of intensest interest; but, when he heard her voice, the flame in
that man's eyes was caught and fixed. It was the same with every man,
educated and uneducated, old, young, desirable themselves or
undesirable, men of her own world and bus-conductors, generals and
Tommies--during the war she had had a perplexing time--bishops equally
with vergers--round about her confirmation startling occurrences had
taken place--wholesome and unwholesome, rich and penniless, brilliant
or idiotic; and it made no difference at all what they were, or how
long and securely married: into the eyes of every one of them, when
they saw her, leapt this flame, and when they heard her it stayed
there.
Scrap had had enough of this look. It only led to difficulties.
At first it had delighted her. She had been excited, triumphant. To
be apparently incapable of doing or saying the wrong thing, to be
applauded, listened to, petted, adored wherever she went, and when she
came home to find nothing there either but the most indulgent proud
fondness--why, how extremely pleasant. And so easy, too. No
preparation necessary for this achievement, no hard work, nothing to
learn.
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