But he certainly made no attempt to hide
the misery which was consuming him. The outward appearance of the
man was eloquent enough of the disorder within. He had always been
wont to be especially neat and precise in his dress; clean shaven,
and with that look of bright freshness on his clear-complexioned and
well-rounded cheeks, which is specially suggestive of health,
happiness, and well-to-do prosperity. Now his cheeks were hollow and
yellow, and grisly stubble of uncared-for beard, covered his deeply-
lined jaws. He was dressed, if dressed it could be called, in a
large loose chamber wrapper, the open neck of which, and of the
shirt beneath it, allowed the visitor's eye to mark that the
emaciation which a few days of misery and anxiety had availed to
cause, was not confined to his face only.
But yet more remarkable was the terrible state of nervous
restlessness from which he was evidently suffering. He was unable to
remain quiet in his easy chair even while his visitor remained with
him. He would every now and then rise from it without reason, and
pace the room for two or three turns with the uneasy objectless
manner of a wild animal confined to a cage. Again and again he would
go to the window, and gaze from it, as though looking for some
expected thing or person. He spoke and behaved as if he had been
most anxious for the coming of the lawyer, and yet, now he was
there, he seemed scarcely able to command his attention sufficiently
to take interest in the tidings Signor Fortini brought him.
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