noon
Oh , Heaven ! when did that sight cease to haunt the heart of Maltravers ! When shall that altered aspect not pass as a ghost before his eyes ! -- there it is , faithful and reproachful alike in solitude and in crowds -- it is seen in the glare of noon -- it passes dim and wan at night beneath the stars and the earth -- it looked into his heart and left its likeness there for ever and for ever ! Those cheeks , once so beautifully rounded , now sunken into lines and hollows -- the livid darkness beneath the eyes -- the whitened lip -- the sharp , anxious , worn expression , which had replaced that glorious and beaming regard from which all the life of genius , all the sweet pride of womanhood had glowed forth , and in which not only the intelligence , but the eternity of the soul , seemed visibly wrought . There he stood , aghast and appalled . At length a low groan broke from his lips -- he rushed forward , sank on his knees beside her , and clasping both her hands , sobbed aloud as he covered them with kisses .