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RESURRECTION.
525
shuddered from its sight, and allowed his gaze to wander away still further, when in a quiet retreat he beheld the sweetest woman, fairest of the fair, her beauteous countenance bathed in the smiles of joy, her eyes sparkling with the light of innocence and love, a perfect inodel of feminine grace and beauty, tripping gaily, and, in the intense lightness of her heart, born of the sense of freedom and power, hardly seeming to touch the ground which she trod. Presently he beheld the dark slimy creature coming up to her from behind, and noticed that her fair face showed signs of instinctive repulsion at its approach. Eagerly did he strain his nerves to catch their conversation, but in vain. He only beheld a shaking of the head on the part of the fair one, and a nodding, as if in emphasizing a point, on that of the other; and then it seemed as if some understanding had been arrived at between them, for he beheld them parting company with a nod of their heads. His gaze now followed the figure of the woman, who, passing through some beautiful walks and flowerbeds, rejoined her lord. There was some conversation between them which he could not overhear, but he saw signs of anger and incredulity succeed each other on the face of the man. Next he beheld them proceeding in the direction of the attractive but poisonous tree, and it appeared to him that their talk had some reference to it, for the man shook his head vigorously when they reached it. At last the woman raised her beautiful, sym. metrical hand to point out its beauty, at which her companion seemed at first to hesitate, and then finally to agree with her.
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