No sooner did I see that his attention was riveted on them, and that I might gaze without being observed, than my eyes were drawn involuntarily to his face; I could not keep their lids under control: they would rise, and the irids would fix on him.
Quando lo vidi assorto nella conversazione, osai osservarlo e stornando gli occhi dal lavoro, li fissai su di lui, provando in quella contemplazione un vivo eppur straziante piacere.