These two beings, so strong in heart, so weak in body, but embellished
by all the graces of suffering, were a touching sight. Gabrielle was
ignorant of coquetry; a look was given the instant it was asked for,
the soft rays from the eyes of each never ceasing to mingle, unless
from modesty. The young girl took the joy of telling Etienne what
pleasure his voice gave her as she listened to his song; she forgot
the meaning of his words when he explained to her the position of the
notes or their value; she listened to HIM, leaving melody for the
instrument, the idea for the form; ingenuous flattery! the first that
true love meets. Gabrielle thought Etienne handsome; she would have
liked to stroke the velvet of his mantle, to touch the lace of his
broad collar. As for Etienne he was transformed under the creative
glance of those earnest eyes; they infused into his being a fruitful
sap, which sparkled in his eyes, shone on his brow, remade him
inwardly, so that he did not suffer from this new play of his
faculties; on the contrary they were strengthened by it.
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