His Other Wife: A Novel — page 25: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

eso SLEEPING BEAUTY. 17 stopped within a few paces of the sleeper. Had he been an artist, he would probably have thought of Cybele, heavy-limbed and white, as he looked on the large, soft loveliness of luxuriant curves and snowy flesh, too lightly vailed in the thin folds of a muslin negigce, that clung as closely as the drapery of an Aurora standing hard by in the window recess. Nothing could excel the languid grace of her pose, as she lay there in the unconscious abandonment of sleep. Magnificent lengths of bronze-colored hair flowed loose about her throat and shoulders, and but for the light, panting breath that warmed her parted lips into a scarlet glow, one could scarce have said she was not a waxen mold, too perfect and too fair for reality. Despite the intense sensuousness of her rich, redundant beauty, there was a delicate idealism, too, in its utter repose. She seemed to exhale a soft, intoxicating atmosphere from her slumbering form. Involuntarily Warren leaned closer to breathe it. His intent gaze fed feverishly upon the won- derful beauty of this woman. All silent and motionless as it was, it bewildered and enchanted him so that he felt dizzy. He had seen and been near beautiful women often before, and had not felt the smallest care for them—he | had even fancied himself rather impervious to feminine _ charms; but now he trembled like a snared bird in pres- ence of this creature, whose powers were all fast locked in ~ slumber. ‘ At last his steady look seemed to disturb her; the long, im Eomicbooks:co