His head swam, and he felt as if some material force was
bending down his body sideways from her. Such, nevertheless, was his self-
possession, that he reclosed his eyes, and went on with his prayer--if that
could in any sense be prayer where he knew neither word he uttered, thing
he thought, nor feeling that moved him. With Claudius in _Hamlet_ he might
have said,
My words fly up, my thoughts remain below:
Words without thoughts never to heaven go!
But while yet speaking, and holding his eyes fast that he might not see her
again, his consciousness all at once returned--it seemed to him through a
mighty effort of the will, and upon that he immediately began to pride
himself. Instantly there-upon he was aware of his thoughts and words, and
knew himself able to control his actions and speech. All the while,
however, that he conducted the rest of the "service," he was constantly
aware, although he did not again look at her, of the figure of Isy before
him, with its gaze fixed motionless upon him, and began at last to wonder
vaguely whether she might not be dead, and come back from the grave to his
mind a mysterious thought-spectre.
Pages:
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105