Sublime

some small plump brownish person of firm but quiet carriage, who looks about her, but does not suppose that anybody is looking at her. If she has a broad face and square brow, well-marked eyebrows and curly dark hair, a certain expression of amusement in her glance which her mouth keeps the secret of, and for the rest features entirely insignifican

I discovered her. Charmante, a perfect Gretchen,4 and we’ve already become acquainted. The prettiest little thing, really!’

A dona do restaurante, uma mulher corpulenta, que gosta de usar salto alto e calças de lycra, olha para ele pela janela do restaurante.

On ne lui connaissait pas les sautes d’humeur, les caprices, les accès de vanité, les minauderies et les extravagances qui si souvent gâtent la beauté des femmes. Elle n’était pas un monstre sacré, sinon « une épée au cœur infiniment tendre » comme l’avait appelée un jour un ami de mon père.

Rembrandt would have painted her with pleasure, and would have made her broad features look out of the canvas with intelligent honesty. For honesty, truth-telling fairness, was Mary’s reigning virtue: she neither tried to create illusions, nor indulged in them for her own behoof, and when she was in a good mood she had humour enough in her to laugh