At one moment, when the attacking party seemed to be on
the point of pressing his advances with more vigour than before, it
chanced that the Diva coughed; and it so happened that, in the next
instant, Gigia entered the room, bringing wood for the fire in her
arms--a diversion which, of course, involved the execution of a
hurried movement of retreat on the part of the enemy.
The whole of Bianca's tactics, indeed, were admirable. And the
result was, as usual, victory. Once again, as long as he was in her
presence and by her side, the unfortunate Marchese felt that the
spell was irresistible--absolutely irresistible by any force of
volition that he was able to oppose to it. Once again it seemed to
him that the only thing in the world that it was utterly impossible
to him to relinquish was the possession of Bianca. The hot fit of
his fever was on him in all its intensity; and there was nothing
that he could do, or suffer, or undergo that he would not rather do,
or suffer, or undergo than admit the thought of giving her up. It
really seemed as if there were some physical emanation from her
person--some magnetic stream--some distillation from the nervous
system of one organization mysteriously potent over the nervous
system of another, which mounted to his brain, mastered the sources
of his volition, and drew him helpless after her, as helplessly as
the magnetized patient obeys the will of his magnetizer.
Pages:
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402