Glasses

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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 fiance 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 can't see Geoffrey's terrible appearance, but he rejoins her and the two.