Closer favourite's kisses cling,
Favourite's fingers sharper sting.'"
"Very likely," replied Eunane. "I cannot understand any more than you
can why Eveena screens instead of punishing us; why she endures what a
word to him would put down under her sandal; but she does. Does she
cast no shadow because it never darkens his presence to us? And after
all, her mind is not a deeper darkness to me than his. He enjoys life
as no man here does; but what he enjoys most is a good chance of
losing it; while those who find it so tedious guard it like
watch-dragons. When the number of accidents made it difficult to fill
up the Southern hunt at any price, the Campta's refusal to let him go
so vexed him that Eveena was half afraid to show her sense of relief.
You would think he liked pain--the scars of the _kargynda_ are not his
only or his deepest ones--if he did not catch at every excuse to spare
it. And, again, why does he speak to Eveena as to the Campta, and to
us as to children--'child' is his softest word for us? Then, he is
patient where you expect no mercy, and severe where others would
laugh.
Pages:
567
568
569
570
571
572
573
574
575
576
577
578
579
580
581
582
583
584
585
586
587
588
589
590
591