Glasses

Glasses is one of the best short stories written by Henry James in 1896. A society marriage is about to take place between a young woman whose only asset is an incredibly attractive face. That is until her fiancé realizes that she requires bulky spectacles that detract from her appearance because she is practically blind. In Folkestone the unnamed narrator a bachelor artist notices a young woman with an astonishingly stunning face. He discovers that she is Flora Saunt an orphan from a friend the widowed Mrs. Meldrum who must wear unsightly glasses. Lord Iffield the unintelligent heir to a country estate is one of her admirers. Geoffrey Dawling who is educated and empathetic but not attractive is another admirer who is also wealthy. Later the narrator attends a Lohengrin performance in London. He sees a beautiful woman in a box wearing expensive gems and assumes she must be Flora. She looks at him over her opera glasses and smiles. Before realizing she is now blind he approaches her box and kisses her hand in greeting. She cant see Geoffreys terrible appearance but he rejoins her and the two.