The beginning of the long drink was absolutely delicious, so soothing
and so cooling; but at the end of it was as if one had filled one's
self with insidious quick-running flame.
Mavis put down her empty tumbler, and looked at it reproachfully.
"Will, it has made me come over all funny. My head's swimming."
When they got back to their seats and were watching the ballet, he too
felt the consequences of guileless straw-sucking; but with him the
after effects were entirely pleasurable. He felt invigorated,
peaceful, massively grand.
He sat placidly enjoying the beauty of the scene, the grace of the
dancers, the vibrations of the music. The stage was dark at first, and
one could merely make out that it pictured a wildly-imagined grove in
the land of dreams; then it grew brighter, and one saw preposterous
giant-flowers--foxgloves so big that when they opened there was a
human face in each quivering bell. And the flowers came out of the
earth and danced; children dressed up as birds, brown boys like
beetles, slim girls like butterflies, all came dancing, dancing; with
more light every moment, till the dazzle and the blaze seemed to drive
away the little people;--and then quite glorious forms appeared,
pirouetting, almost flying--pink-limbed houris, fairies, nymphs--"call
'em what you please--a fair knock-out.
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