 painful?«
    »Severely painful,« I said, with truth. »Withdraw her hand, monsieur; I can
bear its inscribing force no more.«
    »Elle est toute pâle,« said he, speaking to himself; »cette figure là me
fait mal.«
    »Ah! I am not pleasant to look at -?«
    I could not help saying this; the words came unbidden: I never remember the
time when I had not a haunting dread of what might be the degree of my outward
deficiency; this dread pressed me at the moment with special force.
    A great softness passed upon his countenance; his violet eyes grew suffused
and glistening under their deep Spanish lashes: he started up; »Let us walk on.«
    »Do I displease your eyes much?« I took courage to urge: the point had its
vital import for me.
    He stopped, and gave me a short, strong answer - an answer which silenced,
subdued, yet profoundly satisfied. Ever after that, I knew what I was for him;
and what I might be for the rest of the world, I ceased painfully to care. Was
it weak to lay so much stress on an opinion about appearance? I fear it might be
- I fear it was; but in that case I must avow no light share of weakness. I must
own a great fear of displeasing - a strong wish moderately to please M. Paul.
    Whither we rambled, I scarce know. Our walk was long, yet seemed short; the
path was pleasant, the day lovely. M. Emanuel talked of his voyage - he thought
of staying away three years. On his return from Guadaloupe, he looked forward to
release from liabilities and a clear course; and what did I purpose doing in the
interval of his absence? he asked. I had talked once, he reminded me, of trying
to be independent and keeping a little school of my own: had I dropped the idea?
    »Indeed, I had not: I was doing my best to save what would enable me to put
it in practice.«
    »He did not like leaving me in the Rue Fossette; he feared I should miss him
there too much - I should feel desolate - I should grow sad -?«
    This was certain; but I promised to do my best to endure.
    »Still,« said he, speaking low, »there is another objection to your present
residence. I should wish to write to you sometimes: it would not be well to have
any uncertainty about the safe transmission of
