Vol. II, Chapter II, pp. 16–17

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
1797–1851

Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus

London: Printed for Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, 1818.

Purchased by Pierpont Morgan in 1910

PML 16799
Vol. II, pp. 16–17
Transcription: 

pp. 16–17
The affectionate smile with which Elizabeth welcomed my altered mood excited me to greater exertion; and I felt as I spoke long forgotten sensations of pleasure arise in my mind. I knew that this state of being would only be temporary, that gloom and misery was near at hand, but this knowledge only acted as a stimulant, and added a tingling sensation of fear, while the blood danced along my veins—my eyes sparkled and my limbs even trembled beneath the influence of unaccustomed emotion.