She felt, in a dazed, dreamy fashion, that this was the hunchback's declaration of love.

The hurdy-gurdy tune and the unsung words had acted like a spell.

For a space of seconds she gazed with a fixed look at Jonah, waiting for him to move or speak.

She seemed to be slipping down a precipice without the power or desire to resist.

Then, like a fit of giddiness, the sensation passed.