Pagina 263 di 3800

Having read thus far, Princess Mary sighed and glanced into the

mirror which stood on her right. It reflected a weak, ungraceful

figure and thin face. Her eyes, always sad, now looked with

particular hopelessness at her reflection in the glass. "She

flatters me," thought the princess, turning away and continuing

to read. But Julie did not flatter her friend, the princess'

eyes-large, deep and luminous (it seemed as if at times there

radiated from them shafts of warm light)-were so beautiful that

very often in spite of the plainness of her face they gave her an

attraction more powerful than that of beauty. But the princess

never saw the beautiful expression of her own eyes-the look they

had when she was not thinking of herself. As with everyone, her

face assumed a forced unnatural expression as soon as she looked

in a glass. She went on reading: