The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-05-16


by stiff little rows Of very short curls. of
the sort that one sees In old fashioned
wigs" plain matronly cap covers her
head, and makes her look, for the first
time I'm her life, since | remember her. like
a decent woman
Nobody quitting her husband out Of
the question, OF course) now sees in her,
what everybody saw once--T mean the
structure of the female skeleton. in the
upper regions Of the collar-bone and the
shoulder blades Clad in quiet black or
gray gowns, made high round the throat
dresses that she would have laughed at.
screamed at, as the whim Of the moment
inclined her. I'm her maiden days-she sits
speechless In corners: her dry white
hands $50 dry that the pores of her skin
look chalky) necessarily engaged. either
In monotonous embroidery work. or in
rolling up endless little cigarettes for
the Counts own particular smoking on
the few occasions when her cold blue
eyes are off her work they are generally
turned on her husband. with the look OF
mute. submissive inquiry which We are
all familiar with in the eyes OF a faith
ful dog The only approach to an inward
thaw which I have yet detected under
her outer covering of Icy constraint has
betrayed itself once or twice. I'm the form
OF Suppressed tigersh jealousy Of any
woman in the house (the maids included
TO whom the Count speaks. or on whom
he looks with anything approaching 10
10 special interest or attention Except
/ In this one particular. she Is always.
morning, noon and night. indoors and
/ out. fair weather or foul. as cold as
/ statue and as impenetrable as the stone
out of which IL is cut For the common
purposes Of society the extra ordinary
change thus produced in her IS, beyond
all doubt, a change for the better seeing
that II has transformed her into q civil
silent, unohtrusve woman. who is never
in the way. How far she Is really re-
formed or deterioriated IN her secret self.
Is another question. have once or twice
seen sudden changes OF expression on her
pinched lips and heard sudden infec-
tions of tone I'm her calm voice. which
led me 10 suspect that her present state
OF suppression may have sealed up some
thing dangerous I'm her nature which
used 10 evaporate harmlessly I'm the free
dom of her former life I, Is quite pos
I sihle that may he altogether wrong IN
/ this idea. My own impression. however.
/ IS that / am riEht. Time will show
/ And the magician who has wrought
| this wonderful transformation-the for
/ eiRn husha nd who has tanned this once
! wavard English woman till her own
\ relations hardly know her again-the
Count himself What ~ the Count7
This. In two words: He looks like
. Y
married n tigress instead OF woman.
he would have tanned the tigress II he
had married me. I should have made his
/ cigarettes as his wife does-I should have
held nv tongue when he looked az me.
~ she holds hers
I am almost afraid 70 confess it even
- these secret pages The man has in
terested me. has attracted me- has forced
me 20 Ike him In two short days he
has made his waN straight into my n
vorahle estima mation-and how he has
worked the miracle Is more than can
tell
N absolutely startles mo. now he is I'm
my mind % nnd how plainly sec himi4-
how much more plainly than I see SIR
Pcrclval or Mr Fairlie. or Walter Hart
right or any other absent person ~
whom 7 think. with the one exception
~ Laura herselrs I can hear his voice.
az if he was speaking AZ THE moment.
know what his conversation was yes
terday. as well as n 7 was hearing ~
now How am 7 30 describe him. There
are peculiarities IN HE personal appear
ance his habits and hts amusements
which 7 should blame IN 'he boldast
terms or rdicule IN the most merciless
manner. N had seen them IN another
man what is n that makes mo unable
20 blame them. or q ridcule them IN
him.
For example. he IL Immensely fat BE
fore this time. have always especially
disliked corpulent humanity have al
ways maintained that tho popular no
tion of connecting excessive Erossness
~ sire and excessive good -humor Sc
lnseparable allies was equivalent . de- /
clsring. either that no people but amia-
bic people ever get fat or that the ac- /
cidental addition % 80 many pounds 90 /