And meanwhile, during those days when Marina had been watching the flickering of the little Zuane's pale flame of life and there had been no spare moments for Marcantonio, he had tried to absorb himself, as far as possible, in the preparation of this giftsince she would not let him go to herand he had come to regard it as the symbol of success; for failure was never for an instant contemplated in his vision of the future.

He saw it dawn red-flickering across the dark forests and sullen seas; he saw it blaze, bloody and red, to full and triumphant noon; and down the shaded slope he saw the blood-red sands dropping into night.

Giulio Romano alone, by dint of robust energy and lurid fire of fancy flickering amid the smoke of his coarser nature, achieved a triumph in this line of labour.

In both cases there was a flickering in the light and a change of colour from deep orange yellow to blood red, but the latter was dominant.