"“She sat staring at him, horribly fascinated”"   Lot no. 4654

“She sat staring at him, horribly fascinated”

Book illustration for Babs the Impossible by Sarah Grand, published by Harper & Brothers, 1900, opp. page 286.

 An excerpt from the scene illustrated:

“She stopped short with her mouth still open, as in the act of speaking, and stared in astonishment at Mr. Jellybond Tinney. For he, victim of the force of habit, catching a glimpse of himself in the long mirror on the wall at the end of the room, lost consciousness of his surroundings, checked himself in his anxious promenade, went up to the mirror and began to dance, his countenance grimly set the while, and danced till his coattails flew — as was his won’t on grave occasions when alone.

Mrs. Kingconstance’s astonishment changed to alarm. She stat staring at him, horribly fascinated, unable to speak or move.

Becoming suddenly aware of what he was doing, he pulled himself up, stood a moment facing himself with eyes of reproach in the mirror, and then slowly turned to her.

Both were overcome — he with the sense of having lost his dignity irretrievably, she with the fear that he had gone mad.

 Mrs. Kingconstance was the first to recover.

 ‘Well, Mr. Jellybond Tinney!’ She exclaimed; ‘may I ask for an explanation?’

 He took out his pocket-handkerchief and mopped his forehead.

‘It is a way I have,’ he said, simply. ‘When in doubt I dance; when in a difficulty I tell the truth. I apologize.’” (pages 286-287)