Eve Triumphant
Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III THE UBIQUITOUS STRANGER MRS. RONALD, with her aunt and brother, and Miss Carroll, with her mother, had been in Paris a fortnight. They had taken one of the large suites of rooms at the Hotel Continental, and the magnificent salon which looks on the Rue de Castiglione and the Rue de Eivoli was decorated with flowers, and full of the pretty things they had picked up here and there. On leaving her husband for the first time, Helen had felt as though something within her were being torn asunder, and she had suffered keenly. While making her preparations for the voyage, she had experienced a sort of oppression at her heart like a presentiment of coming evil. She had had pangs of fear and regret, and, as though seized with remorse, had even said one day to Mr. Ronald: "Are you quite sure that you do
...not mind this trip? " " Quite sure, dearest," he had replied, with his usual kindness, " since it is for the sake of your health and enjoyment." When the moment came to leave the kind and loving companion of her life, she had clung to him like a child frightened at some one or at something. Henry, deeply moved, had clasped her closely to his breast, and then gently loosened her arms from his neck. " Good-bye until September," he had said; and then, making an effort to smile, he added: " Do not ask to extend your leave of absence, though, for I could not exist any longer without you." " I should hope you could n't," Helen had answered, with a last fond look. " I wish I were coming back now instead of going." Dora, on her part, had felt a certain amount of regret for her conduct towards Jack. She had even been tempted to say to him, as she had so often done: " I am good now; I am quite good," and then give up her journey; but the allurement of all the ant...
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