He thought of her no more as a spirit, lofty and serene, but as a beautiful maiden with the love-light in her eyes.
He was not able to find his former inspiration in the picture above the fireplace.

Its still enchantment was gone.

The set smile, that had ever before seemed so sweet, palled upon him.

The eyes, that had always been so tender, now lacked expression.

The lips that the boy had climbed up to kiss, how had the artist failed to intimate their exquisite curves! The whole picture had suffered a subtle deterioration, and looked hard, wooden, lifeless, and almost, unlike.