142 THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



him. And what excuse can be made for his indulging 

 himself in the anticipation of feasting on forbidden fruit ? 

 None, save the almost irresistible power of a beautiful 

 woman on a heart so young as his ; and the following is 

 the description he gave of Mrs. Denham, to one of his 

 Christchurch friends, on his return to Oxford, after the 

 vacation : 



"She is," said he, "just what, to my eye, a beautiful 

 woman should be. Her person is of an advantageous 

 stature, very well proportioned, and not too tall. Her 

 hair is black as jet, with more of nature than art in the 

 arrangement of it ; her eyes, neither quite black nor yet 

 grey, contain more sweetness than fire. Her complexion 

 inclines to the pale, though it does not want freshness. 

 There is, in fact, a mixture of the lily with the rose, and 

 a clearness and delicacy of skin which is essential to beauty 

 in a woman. Her words and actions are full of grace, and 

 there appears a sweetness of temper in her manner and 

 demeanour, that must engage the affections of every one. 

 Then there is a feature in her person which I greatly 

 admire, and that is, the form of her hand and arm. By 

 heavens, they might be copied for the portrait of the 

 white-armed Juno ; and her bust altogether would have 

 done for a Phidias or a Praxiteles. And in her, even is 

 an imperfection created a beauty. She has a slight hesita- 

 tion in uttering her words, which, if she were niy wife, I 

 would not have removed on any account. And yet I can 

 hardly describe to you the effect it has, but it is somewhat 

 like this : it gives a simplicity of expression, delightful 

 in anyone, but irresistibly so in a pretty woman ; a sort 

 of confiding manner about it, which, although it cannot 

 be described, you could not but be sensible of ; and to the 

 expression of sentiments of endearment, what force must 

 it give ! " 



"And what kind of a man is the husband of this fine 

 woman ? " asked Goodall, for it was to him that Frank 

 Raby was unbosoming himself. " I hope he is deserving 

 of the treasure." 



" Not he, indeed," replied our hero ; " he appears 

 scarcely conscious of possessing such a jewel. If I had 

 such a wife, I think I should never be able to keep my 

 eyes off her person ; whereas, although she was the finest 

 and best-dressed woman at the ball at which I met her, I 

 never once saw him even look upon her certainly not in 



