The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1883-10-04
George Eliot.

In her girlhood, George Eliot had
quantity of soft pale brown hair, worn
in ringlets. Her head was massive, her
features powerful and rugged, her mouth
large but shapely, the Jaw singularly
square for woman, yet having certain
delicacy of outline. A neutral tone OF
coloring did not help to relieve this gen.
eral heaviness of structure, the complex.
ion being pale, but not fair. Neverthe-
less, the play of expression and the won
derful mobility of the mouth, which in
creased with age, gave q womanly soft
ness to the oountenance in curious CON-
tlast with its framework. Her eyes CT
q gray blue, constantly varying in color,
striking some as intensely blue, others
of pale washed-out gray, were small
and not beautiful in themselves, but
when she grew animated in conversation
those eyes lit up the whole face, seeming
in o manner to transfgure it. So much
was this the case that q young lady who
had once enjoyed an hours conversation
with her came away under its spell with
the impression that she was beautiful, but
afterward, on seeing George Eliot again
when she was not talking, she could
hardly believe her to be the same person.
The charm of her nature disclosed itself
in her manner and her voice, the latter
recalling that of Dorothea in being like
the voice of her soul that has once
lived in AN Eolian harp" 1t
was low and deep, vibrating with SYM
lever in phrenology, was so much struck
with the grand proportions of her head
that he took Marian Evans to London to
d. :n1rc 4,
that of Napoleon, her head showed the
largest development from brow to ear of
any persons recorded. The similarity
of type between George Eliot's face and
SavOnarola's has been frequently pointed
out. Some affinity in their natures may
have led her, if unconsciously, to select
that epoch of Florentine life in which he
played so prominent part. Though
not above the middle hight. Marian gave
people the impression of being much
taller than she really was, her figure,
although thin and slight. being we'll
poised and not without o certain sturdi.
ness of make. She was never robust in
health, being delicately strung and of a
highly nervous temperament. In youth
the keen excitability of her nature often
made her hayward and by stericsl. In
fact, her extraordinary intellectual vigor
did not exclude the susceptlbilities aud
weaknesses of peculiarly feminine or
ganization. With all her mental activity
she yet led an intensely emotional life, as
in those days she was known by her friends
"to weep bucketfuls OF tears" Her long.
pale face, with its strongly-marked fea-
lures, was less rugged IN the mature
prime Of life that in youth, the inner
meanings OF her nature having worked
themselves more and more to the sur
face, the mouth, with its beningnant
suavity of expression, especially soften
ing the too prominent under lip and
massive Jaw. Her abundant hair, un-
tinged with gray, whose smooth bands
made kind of frame to the face, was
covered by lace or muslin cap. with
lappets OF rich point or Valenciennes
lace fastened under her chin. Her gray.
blue eyes, under noticeable eyelashes,
the same acute sensitiveness
as her long, thin, beautifully shaped
hands. She had q pleasant laugh and
smile, her voice being low, distinct, and
intensely sympathetic in quality; it was
contralto in singing. but she seldom
sang or played before more than one or
two friends. Though her conversation
was perfectly easy, each sentence was as
finished, as perfectly formed. az the style
of her published works. Indeed, she
laid great stress on the value OF correct
speaking and clearness Of enumeration;
and in "Theophrastus Such" she lsments
1.-THE general ambition to speak every
language except our mother English,
which persons 'of style are not ashamed
OF corrupting with slang, false foreign
equivalents, and q pronunciation that
brushes out all the color from the vowels
and jams them between jostling con-
sonants."