Pagina 358 di 490

The man had to touch him twice on the shoulder before he woke,

and as he opened his eyes a faint smile passed across his lips,

as though he had been lost in some delightful dream. Yet he had

not dreamed at all. His night had been untroubled by any images

of pleasure or of pain. But youth smiles without any reason. It

is one of its chiefest charms.

He turned round, and leaning upon his elbow, began to sip his

chocolate. The mellow November sun came streaming into the room.

The sky was bright, and there was a genial warmth in the air. It

was almost like a morning in May.