she held one arm outstretched before her , the fingers of its hand curling indefinitely , as the arm opposite fell loosely behind her waist , its hand formed into a gentle fist ; she stepped in a long straight-legged stride as though venturing forward into the insubstantial which loomed perilously over the unrelenting sea , and in spite of her imminent demise , there appeared in her form an elegant and noble air , her regal posture possessed of a certain grace and contentment ; there was nary a hint of fear , nor of desperation , nor of sadness : her momentary juxtaposition one of only solemn commitment ; she proceeded forward uninhibited by this mere line she would cross no differently than she would perhaps any arbitrary line sliced into the sand by the whims of a child at play , she proceeded forward in defiance of those jagged rocks below against which the violent waves seethed and frothed white as might saliva against the fangs of a rabid carnivore .