Читать книгу The Complete Works of F. Scott Fitzgerald онлайн

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She tried to fight down her rising panic, told herself it was the wick. If the wick wasn’t straight, candles did something—but they didn’t do this! With incalculable rapidity a force was gathering within her, a tremendous, assimilative force, drawing from every sense, every corner of her brain, and as it surged up inside her she felt an enormous, terrified repulsion. She drew her arms in close to her side, away from Kieth and Jarvis.

Something in that candle … she was leaning forward—in another moment she felt she would go forward toward it—didn’t any one see it? … anyone?

“Ugh!”

She felt a space beside her and something told her that Jarvis had gasped and sat down very suddenly … then she was kneeling and as the flaming monstrance slowly left the altar in the hands of the priest, she heard a great rushing noise in her ears—the crash of the bells was like hammer-blows … and then in a moment that seemed eternal a great torrent rolled over her heart—there was a shouting there and a lashing as of waves …