The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-02-06

| inspired the fierce yet totteifng impul
siveness Of his play.
But while every single player differed
markedly from every other, there was
certain uniform negativeness OF express
sion which had the effect OF a mask az
IL they had all eaten Of some root that
| for the time compelled the brains Of
each to the same narrow nOnOtOny Of
action.
Deronda's first thought when his eyes
| fell on this scene Of dull, gtls-pOisoned
absorption was that the gambling OF
Spanish shepherd boys had seemed to
| him more enviable; so far Rousseau
might be justified in maintaining that
| art and science had done poor service
to mankind. But suddenly he felt the
moment become dramatic. His alton
| ton was arrested by young lady who,
standing at an angle not far from him,
She was bending and speaking English
to middle-aged lady seated at play
beside her; but the next instant she re-.
turned to her play, and showed the full
height OF o graceful figure, with q face
which might possibly be looked at with
out admiration, but could hardly be
passed with indifference.
The sylph was winner, and as her
taper fingers, delicately gloved In pale
gray, were adjusting the coins which
had been pushed toward her in order to
pass them back again to the winning
point, she looked round her with sur
to have In it little Of that nature which
we call art concealing an inward exulta-
ton.
But in the course Of that survey her
eyes met Deronda's, and instead of
averting them as she would have de-
sired to do, she was unpleasantly con-
scious that they were arrested-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 q region out
side and above her, and was examining
her as q specimen OF lower order,
reused q tingling resentment which
stretched the moment with conflict. It
did not bring blood to her checks, but
sent it away from her lips. She con-
trolled herself by the help of an inward
defiance, and without other sign of
emotion than this lip-palcness turned to
her play.
There was smile Of irony in his eyes
as their glances met; but it was at least
better that he should have kept his at
tentiOn fixed on her than that he should
nave ul6Iekulucu ucI I'D ODO VI I'LL Ill
sect swarm who had no individual ply
siognomy. Beside, In spite of his
superciliousness and irony, 1t was diff
cult to believe that he did not admire
her spirit as we'll as her person; he was
young, handsome, distinguished in up
pearance- one Of those ridiculous
and dowdy Philistines who thought it
incumbent on them to blight the gaming
table with sour look Of protest as
they passed by 1t. The. general convic-
ton that we are admirable does not
easily give way before a single mega
tive rather when any Of Vanity's large
family, male or female, find their per-
Torrance received coldly, they are apt
to believe that a little more Of it will
win over the unaccountable dissident.
In Gwendolen's habits OF mind It had
been taken for granted that she knew
what was admirable, and that she her
self was admired. The basis of her
thinking had received q disagreeable
conclusion, and reeled a little, but was
not easily to be overthrown.