Her eyebrows
met,--a sign, according to some observers, which indicates jealousy. The
jealousy of superior minds becomes emulation and leads to great things;
that of small minds turns to hatred. The "hate and wait" of her mother
was in her nature, without disguise. Her eyes were black apparently,
though really brown with orange streaks, contrasting with her hair,
of the ruddy tint so prized by the Romans, called auburn in England, a
color which often appears in the offspring of persons of jet black hair,
like that of Monsieur and Madame Evangelista. The whiteness and delicacy
of Natalie's complexion gave to the contrast of color in her eyes and
hair an inexpressible charm; and yet it was a charm that was purely
external; for whenever the lines of a face are lacking in a certain
soft roundness, whatever may be the finish and grace of the details, the
beauty therein expressed is not of the soul. These roses of deceptive
youth will drop their leaves, and you will be surprised in a few years
to see hardness and dryness where you once admired what seemed to be the
beauty of noble qualities.

Though the outlines of Natalie's face had something august about them,
her chin was slightly "empate,"--a painter's expression which will serve
to show the existence of sentiments the violence of which would only
become manifest in after life. Her mouth, a trifle drawn in, expressed
a haughty pride in keeping with her hand, her chin, her brows, and her
beautiful figure. And--as a last diagnostic to guide the judgment of a
connoisseur--Natalie's pure voice, a most seductive voice, had certain
metallic tones. Softly as that brassy ring was managed, and in spite of
the grace with which its sounds ran through the compass of the voice,
that organ revealed the character of the Duke of Alba, from whom the
Casa-Reales were collaterally descended. These indications were those
of violent passions without tenderness, sudden devotions, irreconcilable
dislikes, a mind without intelligence, and the desire to rule natural to
persons who feel themselves inferior to their pretensions.

These defects, born of temperament and constitution, were buried in
Natalie like ore in a mine, and would only appear under the shocks and
harsh treatment to which all characters are subjected in this world.
Meantime the grace and freshness of her youth, the distinction of her
manners, her sacred ignorance, and the sweetness of a young girl, gave
a delicate glamour to her