fancied that he recognized Angelique in spite of a brown merino pelisse
that wrapped her, and he nudged his father's elbow.

"Yes, there she is," said the Count, after looking where his son
pointed, and then, by an expressive glance, he directed his attention
to the pale face of an elderly woman who had already detected the
strangers, though her false eyes, deep set in dark circles, did not seem
to have strayed from the prayer-book she held.

Angelique raised her face, gazing at the altar as if to inhale the heavy
scent of the incense that came wafted in clouds over the two women. And
then, in the doubtful light that the tapers shed down the nave, with
that of a central lamp and of some lights round the pillars, the young
man beheld a face which shook his determination. A white watered-silk
bonnet closely framed features of perfect regularity, the oval being
completed by the satin ribbon tie that fastened it under her dimpled
chin. Over her forehead, very sweet though low, hair of a pale gold
color parted in two bands and fell over her cheeks, like the shadow
of leaves on a flower. The arches of her eyebrows were drawn with the
accuracy we admire in the best Chinese paintings. Her nose, almost
aquiline in profile, was exceptionally firmly cut, and her lips were
like two rose lines lovingly traced with a delicate brush. Her eyes, of
a light blue, were expressive of innocence.

Though Granville discerned a sort of rigid reserve in this girlish face,
he could ascribe it to the devotion in which Angelique was rapt. The
solemn words of prayer, visible in the cold, came from between rows of
pearls, like a fragrant mist, as it were. The young man involuntarily
bent over her a little to breathe this diviner air. This movement
attracted the girl's notice; her gaze, raised to the altar, was diverted
to Granville, whom she could see but dimly in the gloom; but she
recognized him as the companion of her youth, and a memory more vivid
than prayer brought a supernatural glow to her face; she blushed. The
young lawyer was thrilled with joy at seeing the hopes of another life
overpowered by those of love, and the glory of the sanctuary eclipsed by
earthly reminiscences; but his triumph was brief. Angelique dropped her
veil, assumed a calm demeanor, and went on singing without letting her
voice betray the least emotion.

Granville was a prey to one single wish, and every thought of prudence
vanished. By the time the service was ende