The cuisine was delectable, the wines delicious.

Madame and the countess were in evening dress.

The Colonel was brimming with anecdote, the countess was witty, Madame was a sister to Aspasia.
Maurice, while he enjoyed this strange feast, was puzzled.

It was very irregular, and the Colonel's gray hairs did not serve to alter this fact.

What was the meaning of it?
What lay underneath?
Sometimes he caught Fitzgerald in the act of staring at Madame when her attention was otherwise engaged; at other times he saw that Madame was returning this cursory investigation.