Carey
was silent for a moment. Then he said abruptly:
"My heart wants to be drowned."
Lord Holme hated Carey. Yet Lady Holme had not loved him; though she had
not objected to him more than to other men because he loved her. She had
been brought up in a society which is singularly free from prejudices,
which has no time to study carefully questions of so-called honour, which
has little real religious feeling, and a desire for gaiety which perhaps
takes the place of a desire for morals. Intrigues are one of the chief
amusements of this society, which oscillates from London to Paris as the
pendulum of a clock oscillates from right to left. Lady Holme, however,
happened to be protected doubly against the dangers--or joys by the
way--to which so many of her companions fell cheerful, and even
chattering, victims. She had a husband who though extremely stupid was
extremely masterful, and, for the time at any rate, she sincerely loved
him. She was a faithful wife and had no desire to be anything else,
though she liked to be, and usually was, in the fashion. But though
faithful to Lord Holme she had, as has been said, both the appearance and
the temperament of a siren. She enjoyed governing men, and those who were
governed by her, who submitted obviously to the power of her beauty and
the charm of manner that seemed to emanate from it, and to be one with
it, were more attractive to her than those who were not.
Pages:
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59