with devouring avidity, to take in all
the rare perfections of the young lady. Verily, never had two more divine
types of beauty met face to face. Adrienne and Djalma were the very ideal
of a handsome youth and maiden. There seemed to be something providential
in the meeting of these two natures, so young and so vivacious, so
generous and so full of passion, so heroic and so proud, who, before
coming into contact, had, singularly enough, each learned the moral worth
of the other; for if, at the words of Rodin, Djalma had felt arise in his
heart an admiration, as lively as it was sudden, for the valiant and
generous qualities of that unknown benefactress, whom he now discovered
in Mdlle. de Cardoville, the latter had, in her turn, been moved,
affected, almost terrified, by the interview she had just overheard, in
which Djalma had displayed the nobleness of his soul, the delicate
goodness of his heart, and the terrible transports of his temper. Then
she had not been able to repress a movement of astonishment, almost
admiration, at sight of the surprising beauty of the prince; and soon
after, a strange, painful sentiment, a sort of electric shock, seemed to
penetrate all her being, as her eyes encountered Djalma's.

Cruelly agitated, and suffering deeply from this agitation, she tried to
dissemble the impression she had received, by addressing Rodin, to
apologize for having suspected him. But the obstinate silence of the
Indian redoubled the lady's painful embarrassment. Again raising her eyes
towards the prince, to invite him to respond to her fraternal offer, she
met his ardent gaze wildly fixed upon her, and she looked once more with
a mixture of fear, sadness, and wounded pride; then she congratulated
herself on having foreseen the inexorable necessity of keeping Djalma at
a distance from her, such apprehension did this ardent and impetuous
nature already inspire. Wishing to put an end to her present painful
situation, she said to Rodin, in a low and trembling voice, "Pray, sir,
speak to the prince; repeat to him my offers. I cannot remain longer." So
saying, Adrienne turned, as if to rejoin Florine. But, at the first step,
Djalma sprang towards her with the bound of a tiger, about to be deprived
of his prey. Terrified by the expression of wild excitement which
inflamed the Indian's countenance, the young lady drew back with a loud
scream.

At this, Djalma remembered himself, and all that had passed. Pale with
regret