Meaning in Context – Choosing Between ‘Every’ or ‘Not One’

meaning-in-context

Could you help me understand the following sentence:

There was not a line in her countenance, not a note in her soft and
sleepy voice, but spoke of an entire contentment with her life.

At first, I understood Every line in her face, every note in her soft and sleepy voice, said that she was entirely satisfy with her life

but my friend told me that it means

There was no line in her face, no note in her soft voice, that expressed that she was entirely satisfied with her life"

What is right and why?

Best Answer

Your interpretation is the correct one.

There was not a line in her countenance... but spoke of an entire contentment...

means that every line did speak of it. But in this context means the same as that did not.

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