I
felt his glance so confused and passionate and withal so impetuous that,
as Aunt Marcia lifted my wrap and I went down to the carriage, my heart
beat violently, and I sank back into my corner in a frightful, blissful
maze of fear and ecstasy.
But even then I didn't know what had happened to me.
We had but a few blocks to go, and before I had recovered, a man in livery
was opening the carriage door at the mouth of a canvas tunnel which seemed
to dive under a great house that towered so far above the street as to
look almost narrow. We passed through the tunnel, another man opened a
door almost at the street level, and we advanced into a hall extending the
entire width of the house, so brilliantly lighted and so spacious that I
caught my breath at thought of our errand, seeing that the size of the
place and its splendour so far exceeded what I had supposed.
I clutched at Aunt's hand as if to stop her in front of the huge
fireplace, where logs, crackling on tall "firedogs" of twisted iron, gave
out a yellow blaze; but then quickly such a different terror and wonder
and joy came again upon me that I lost consciousness of everything but
Ned; and the masses of ferns and palms through which we were moving--the
doll-like servants in silk stockings and knee breeches, their scarlet
coats emblazoned with the monogram of the Van Dams--faded out of sight.
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