Images,metaphors of the most extreme and
extravagant twined and twisted in hismind. Her courage made nothing of the
adventure. Yet it is dark, mysterious, andundocumented; so that there is no
explaining it. It was as if the hard and consolidated sky poured itself forthin one
profuse fountain. To pause therefore and seek the reasons of thingsis out of the
question.
Ransack the language as he might, words failed him.
There were also wild cries and terrible inhuman groanings.
Love hadmeant to him nothing but sawdust and
cinders. He was bitten by a swarm of snakes, each morepoisonous than the last. Yet
it is dark, mysterious, andundocumented; so that there is no explaining it. In
short,nothing could exceed the brilliancy and gaiety of the scene by
day.
For, heaven be praised, he spoke the tongue as
hisown; his mothers maid had taught him.
The joys he had had of ittasted insipid in the
extreme.
The Great Frost was, historians tell us, the most
severe that has evervisited these islands.
At midnight they would meet at an inn near
Blackfriars. One old man seemed to bereading aloud from a holy book. Loversdallied
upon divans spread with sables. It is certain indeed that many ladies were ready to
show him theirfavours. Thewhole world seemed to ring with the news of her deceit and
his derision.
Whom had he loved, what had he loved, he asked
himself in atumult of emotion, until now?