As he
stood still, fighting with his breath, as if bereft of his senses by the
intensity of his delight, she walked up to him with quick, resolute
steps, and, with the appearance of one about to leap from a dangerous
height, threw both her arms round his neck with a sudden gesture. A
small blue gleam crept amongst the dry branches, and the crackling of
reviving fire was the only sound as they faced each other in the
speechless emotion of that meeting; then the dry fuel caught at once, and
a bright hot flame shot upwards in a blaze as high as their heads, and in
its light they saw each other's eyes.
Neither of them spoke. He was regaining his senses in a slight tremor
that ran upwards along his rigid body and hung about his trembling lips.
She drew back her head and fastened her eyes on his in one of those long
looks that are a woman's most terrible weapon; a look that is more
stirring than the closest touch, and more dangerous than the thrust of a
dagger, because it also whips the soul out of the body, but leaves the
body alive and helpless, to be swayed here and there by the capricious
tempests of passion and desire; a look that enwraps the whole body, and
that penetrates into the innermost recesses of the being, bringing
terrible defeat in the delirious uplifting of accomplished conquest.
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