not so, thank heaven! but, as regards beatrice's picture, the incident suggests a theory which may account for its unutterable grief and mysterious shadow of guilt, without detracting from the purity which we love to attribute to that ill-fated girl.who, indeed, can look at that mouth,--with its lips half apart, as innocent as a babe's that has been crying, and not pronounce beatrice sinless? it was the intimate consciousness of her father's sin that threw its shadow over her, and frightened her into a remote and inaccessible region, where no sympathy could come.it was the knowledge of miriam's guilt that lent the same expression to hilda's face.
but hilda nervously moved her chair, so that the images in the glass should be no longer visible.she now watched a speck of sunshine that came through a shuttered window, and crept from object to object, indicating each with a touch of its bright finger, and then letting them all vanish successively.in like manner her mind, so like sunlight in its natural cheerfulness, went from thought to thought, but found nothing that it could dwell upon for comfort.never before had this young, energetic, active spirit known what it is to be despondent.it was the unreality of the world that made her so. her dearest friend, whose heart seemed themost solid and richest of hilda's possessions, had no existence for her any more; and in that dreary void, out of which miriam had disappeared, the substance, the truth, the integrity of life, the motives of effort, the joy of success, had departed along with her.
it was long past noon, when a step came up the staircase.it had passed beyond the limits where there was communication with the lower regions of the palace, and was mounting the successive flights which led only to hilda's precincts.faint as the tread was, she heard and recognized it.it startled her into sudden life.her first impulse was to spring to the door of the studio, and fasten it with lock and bolt.but a second thought made her feel that this would be an unworthy cowardice, on her own part, and also that miriam- only yesterday her closest friend had a right to be told, face to face, that thenceforth they must be forever strangers.