A Face Illumined | Page 8

a woman to mock and disappoint one so! When I first saw
her I thought I had discovered a prize--a new revelation of beauty; but a
moment later she looked so ineffably silly that I felt as if I had bitten
into an apple of Sodom. Of course the girl is nothing to me. I never saw
her before and hope I may never see her again; but her features were so
perfect that I could not help looking at them, and the more I looked the
more annoyed I became to find that, instead of being blended together
into a divine face by the mind within, they were the reluctant slaves of
as picayune a soul as ever maintained its microscopic existence in a

human body. It is exasperating to think what that face might be, and to
see what it is. How can nature make such absurd blunders? The idea of
building so fair a temple for such an ugly little divinity!"
"I thought you artists were satisfied with flesh and blood women, if
only put together in a way pleasing to your fastidious eyes."
"If nature had designed that women should consist only of flesh and
blood women, if only put together in a way pleasing to your fastidious
eyes."
"If nature had designed that women should consist only of flesh and
blood, one would have to be content; but no one save the 'unspeakable
Turk,' believes in such a woman, or wants her. Who admires such a
fragment of a woman save the man that is as yet undeveloped beyond
the animal? My mother is my friend, my companion, my inspiration.
The idea of yonder silly creature being the companion of a MAN."
"Good evening, Coz," said a voice that was a trifle shrill and loud for a
public place, and looking up, the friends saw the subject of their
conversation, who, with her spindling attendant was also taking a
promenade.
Stanton raised his hat with a smile, while Van Berg touched his but
coldly.
"I wish to speak with you," she said in passing.
"I will join you soon," Stanton answered.
"So this lady is your cousin?" remarked Van Berg.
"She is," said Stanton laughing.
"You will do me the justice to remember that I spoke in ignorance of
the fact. If I were you I would give her some cousinly advice."
"Bless you! I have, but it's like pouring water on a duck's back. For one
sensible word I can say to her she gets a thousand compliments from

rich and empty-headed young fools, like the one now with her, who
will eventually be worth half a million in his own name. I was
interested to see how her face would strike you, and I imagine that your
estimate has hit pretty close upon the truth, for in my judgment she is
the prettiest and silliest girl in New York. She has recently returned
from a year's absence abroad, and I was in hopes that she would find
something to remember besides her own handsome face, but I imagine
she has seen little else than it and the admiring glances which
everywhere follow her. Take us as we average, Van, Mr. Darwin has
not go us very far along yet, and if the face of a woman suits us we are
apt to stare at it as far as such politeness as we possess permits, without
giving much thought to her intellectual endowments. When it comes to
companionship, however, I agree with you. Heaven help the man who
is tied to such a woman for life. Still, in the fashionable crowd my
cousin trains with, this makes little difference. The husband goes his
way and the wife hers, and they are not long in getting a good ways
apart. But come, let me introduce you, I have always thought the little
fool had some fine gold mingled with her dross, and you are such a
skilful analyst that perhaps you will discover it."
"No, I thank you," said Van Berg, with a slight expression of disgust. "I
could not speak civilly to a lady that I had just seen giggling and
flirting through one of Beethoven's finest symphonies."
"Well well," said Stanton laughing, "I am rather glad to find one man
who is not drawn to her pretty face like a moth to a candle. I will join
you again by and by."
Van Berg sat down in one of the little stalls that stood open to the main
promenade, and saw his friend thread his way among the moving
figures, and address his cousin. As she turned to speak with Stanton,
the artist received again that vivid impression of beauty, which her face
ever caused before time was given for closer scrutiny. Indeed from his