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zenith. That a man should be a lord!--it seemed chimerical. It was so,
however. Incredible thing! There were lords! But were they of flesh and
blood, like ourselves? It seemed doubtful. He felt that he lay at the
bottom of all darkness, encompassed by a wall, while he could just
perceive in the far distance above his head, through the mouth of the
pit, a dazzling confusion of azure, of figures, and of rays, which was
Olympus. In the midst of this glory the duchess shone out resplendent.
He felt for this woman a strange, inexpressible longing, combined with a
conviction of the impossibility of attainment. This poignant
contradiction returned to his mind again and again, notwithstanding
every effort. He saw near to him, even within his reach, in close and
tangible reality, the soul; and in the unattainable--in the depths of
the ideal--the flesh. None of these thoughts attained to certain shape.
They were as a vapour within him, changing every instant its form, and
floating away. But the darkness which the vapour caused was intense.
He did not form even in his dreams any hope of reaching the heights
where the duchess dwelt. Luckily for him.
The vibration of such ladders of fancy, if ever we put our foot upon
them, may render our brains dizzy for ever. Intending to scale Olympus,
we reach Bedlam; any distinct feeling of actual desire would have
terrified him. He entertained none of that nature.
Besides, was he likely ever to see the lady again? Most probably not. To
fall in love with a passing light on the horizon, madness cannot reach
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