The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1876-02-24
NO. 20

was a landSome Italian, calm statuesQue
rfachlng acroSS him to place the first pile of
Napoleons from u new bagful Just brought
MN ny an envoy with a scrolled mustache.
Inc pile was In hat minute pushed over
ID an old bewigged woman with eyeglasses
plnchlng her nose. There was \ Sigh,
gleam, FAINT mumbling smile about The
! lips of the old woman; but the ststu.sope
ltahAn remained impassive, and-probabIy
secure In an lnfallble system which placed
ms ioot on the neck of the chauce-imme-
| dlateiy prepared a new pile. So did a man
with the air OF an emaciated beau or worn
out hberune, who looked at life throu0h
one eye-glass, and held out his hand tremu
lOusly when he asked for change. 1t could
surely be no severity of system, but rather
some dream of white crows, OF the induc-
ton that the light of the month was lucky.
which inspire the fierce yet totteriug i'm
pulsiveness of his play.
But while every single player differed
markedly from every other, there was a
certain uniform negatiYeness of expression
which had the effect of a mask-as if they
ha i all eaten of some root that for the time
compelled the brains ef each to the same
narrow monotony of action.
Deronda's first thought when his eyes fell
on this scene of dull, gas-posoned ABSORB
tion was that the gambling of Spanish shep-
herd boys had seemed to him more enviabe
so far Rousseau might be justified in main
tanning that art and science had done poor
! service TO mankind. But suddenly he felt
the moment become dramatic. His atten-
ton was arrested by young lady who,
| standing at an angle not far from him, was
the last To whom his ewes travelled. She
was bending and speaking English to
middle-agvd lady seated at play beside her !;
but the next instant she returned to her
play, and showed the full height of grace
full figure, with a face which might possibly
be looked at without admiration, bat could
hardly be passed with indifference
The sylph was winner, and as her taper
fingers, delicately gloved in pale gray, were
adjusting the CONS which had been pushed
toward her IN order to pass them back again
to the winning point, she looked round her
with survey too markedly cold and neu-
tral not to have in il u little of that nature
which we call art concealing an inward ex-
ultation.
But in the course of that survey her ewes
met Derondo's and, instead of avertiug them
rs she would have desired To do, she was
uppleasantly conscious that they were ar
rested-how long? The darting sense that
he was measuring her and looking down on
her as an inferior, that he was of different
quality from the human dross around her,
that he felt himself in a region outside and
above her, and was examining her as a
specimen of lower order, reused tingling
resentment which stretched the moment
with conflict. 1t did not bring blood to her
cheeks, but sent it away from her lips. She
controlled herself by the help of an inward
defiance, and without other sign of emotion
than this lip-paleness turned to her play.
There was a smile of irony in his eyes as
their glances met; but 1t was at least better
that he should have kept his attention fixed
on her than that he should have disregarded
her as one OF an insect swarm who had no
individual physiognomy. Beside, in spite
of his superciliousness and irony, it was
difficult to believe that he did not admire
her spirit as we'll her person; he was
young, handsome, distinguished in appear
ance-not one of those ridiculous and dow
dy Philistines who thought it incumbent on
them to blight the gaming table with sour
look OF protest as they passed by it. The
general conviction that we are admirable
does not easily give way before single neg.
ative; rather when any of Vanity's-Jrni-
family, male or female, find -tR,r'to believe
ance received coldly. .tls1I1 win over the un-
that little lm1lesssident. In Gwendolen's hab.
account ceq mind it had been taken for grantee
| tffAAft tfffAAft she herself what. why was admirable, ana
her thinking had received a dissg g2ssls IssN,o Vi
conclusion, and reeled little, but was not
easily to be overthrown.