When they returned ten minutes afterwards, Carlotta was smiling
and self-possessed, evidently very well pleased with herself, but
Judith had a red spot on each of her cheeks.
The sight of her smote me with an odd new feeling of pity. I
cannot dismiss the vision from my mind. All the evening I have
seen the two women standing side by side, a piteous parable. The
light from the window shone full upon them, and the dark curtain
of the door was an effective background. The one flaunted the
sweet insolence of youth, health, colour, beauty; of the bud just
burst into full flower. The other wore the stamp of care, of the
much knowledge wherein is much sorrow, and in her eyes dwelled
the ghosts of dead years. She herself looked like a ghost-
dressed in white pique, which of itself drew the colour from her
white face and pale lips and mass of faint straw-coloured hair,
the pallor of all which was accentuated by the red spots on her
cheeks and her violet eyes.
I saw that something had occurred to vex her.
"Before we go," I said, "I should like a word with you.
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