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No wonder that the French bestowed upon the island the appellation of the New Cytherea. "Often," says De Bourgainville, "I thought I was walking in the Garden of Eden." Nor, when first discovered, did the inhabitants of this charming country at all diminish the wonder and admiration of the voyager.
The vehicle came nearer, and arrived opposite Owen's door, when the driver pulled the rein and gave a shout, and the panting and sweating horses stopped. 'Miss Aldclyffe's carriage! they all exclaimed. Owen went out. 'Is Miss Graye at home? said the man. 'A note for her, and I am to wait for an answer. Cytherea read in the handwriting of the Rector of Carriford:
A sensation of coldness, a spiritual shiver, went through Lee Randon; the resemblance that had eluded him was mercilessly clear it was to the doll, to Cytherea. When Dr. Davencott and his wife had gone Lee sank back into his chair, more disorganized by his culminating discovery than by any of the extraordinary conditions that had preceded it.
Plaything of the city, minion to the light amusement of the hour, frail child of Cytherea and the Graces, what relentless fate has conducted thee to the shambles? Butterfly of the summer, why should a nation rise to break thee upon the wheel?
In extremely trying moments of bodily or mental pain, Cytherea either flushed hot or faded pale, according to the state of her constitution at the moment. Now she burned like fire from head to foot, and this preserved her consciousness. Never before had the poor child's natural agility served her in such good stead as now. A heavy oblong table stood in the middle of the room.
Expressions of strong attachment, interrupted by emotion, burst again and again from the broken-spirited woman. 'But you don't know my motive. O, if you only knew it, how you would pity me then! Cytherea did not break the pause which ensued, and the elder woman appeared now to nerve herself by a superhuman effort.
Concluding that there would be just sufficient time for him to go there and return before the boat had left the shore, he parted from Cytherea on the hill, struck downwards, and then up a heathery valley. She remained on the summit where he had left her till the time of his expected return, scanning the details of the prospect around.
As soon as he could find an opportunity, Owen took his sister aside to speak privately with her on what had happened. The expression of her face was hard, wild, and unreal an expression he had never seen there before, and it disturbed him. He spoke to her severely and sadly. 'Cytherea, he said, 'I know the cause of this emotion of yours. But remember this, there was no excuse for it.
It seemed to Lee the doll became animated in a whisper of cool silk, but he couldn't invent a place, a society, into which she fitted. Not Eastlake, certainly, nor New York ... perhaps Cuba. What a vanity of nonsense his thoughts had led him back into: Cytherea, a thing of wax, was on the over-mantel beyond the hall; Cuba beyond the sea.
'I shall not have it altered, said Cytherea firmly; 'it has been altered once already: I shall let it be. We pass over the intervening weeks. The time of the story is thus advanced more than a quarter of a year.
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