Zulora certainly was very handsome, but Arowhena
was infinitely the more graceful of the two and was the very _ne plus
ultra_ of youth and beauty. I will not attempt to describe her, for
anything that I could say would fall so far short of the reality as only
to mislead the reader. Let him think of the very loveliest that he can
imagine, and he will still be below the truth. Having said this much, I
need hardly say that I had fallen in love with her.
She must have seen what I felt for her, but I tried my hardest not to let
it appear even by the slightest sign. I had many reasons for this. I
had no idea what Mr. and Mrs. Nosnibor would say to it; and I knew that
Arowhena would not look at me (at any rate not yet) if her father and
mother disapproved, which they probably would, considering that I had
nothing except the pension of about a pound a day of our money which the
King had granted me. I did not yet know of a more serious obstacle.
In the meantime, I may say that I had been presented at court, and was
told that my reception had been considered as singularly gracious;
indeed, I had several interviews both with the King and Queen, at which
from time to time the Queen got everything from me that I had in the
world, clothes and all, except the two buttons I had given to Yram, the
loss of which seemed to annoy her a good deal.
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