Edgar Jepson

“ He took her from room to room, showing her the few pictures, the few pieces of jade and lacquer, the few old Chinese ivories, all of them admirable. But he showed them to her with so warm an enthusiasm, almost a passion, for their beauty, that for the while he lent her untrained eye sight, her neglected spirit understanding. ”

“ His face was no longer impassive, or his voice toneless, or his eyes cold. No longer did they look through her. They looked into her eyes and saw them.
Once he ran his fingers lovingly down a line of a translucent jade figure of Kwanyin, and she observed that he had beautiful hands.
“What a lot you know!” she exclaimed almost enviously, as they came back to the drawing-room.
“I like these things,” he said quietly. “And I have always made a point of being in the house of people with taste. They are the nicest to live with.” ”

“ She had taken out her cigarette case when he entered the drawing-room, bringing with him a box of the prince's cigarettes.
He opened it, handed it to her, and said:
“I think you will prefer one of these, madam.”
She took one and thanked him, looking rather earnestly at his expressionless, impassive face. She felt that the prince had probably been right when he had said that it was a face that might have adorned a Greek coin. The gray eyes seemed to look through her without seeing her. This interested, but did not please, her. The eyes of most men looked at her—hard. ”