"_Look!--look!--look!_ she's shrivelling up! she's turning into
a monkey!" and down he fell upon the ground, foaming and gnashing in a
fit.
True enough--I faint even as I write it in the living presence of that
terrible recollection--she _was_ shrivelling up; the golden snake that
had encircled her gracious form slipped over her hips and to the ground;
smaller and smaller she grew; her skin changed colour, and in place of
the perfect whiteness of its lustre it turned dirty brown and yellow,
like an piece of withered parchment. She felt at her head: the
delicate hand was nothing but a claw now, a human talon like that of a
badly-preserved Egyptian mummy, and then she seemed to realise what kind
of change was passing over her, and she shrieked--ah, she shrieked!--she
rolled upon the floor and shrieked!
Smaller she grew, and smaller yet, till she was no larger than a monkey.
Now the skin was puckered into a million wrinkles, and on the shapeless
face was the stamp of unutterable age.
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