He wore his evening dress with the same natural self-possession as one of the gray-haired diplomats.

The secret of this demeanor was the sense of equality he felt toward the others.

It never occurred to him to think, "How do I look?
Am I like everyone else ?" and so he was as free from constraint in his dress coat as in his student's jacket.

He had even the gracefulness which every man has in the flower of his age, if he allows the unconscious impulses of his limbs to assert themselves, and does not spoil the freedom of their play by confusing efforts to improve them.

The company did not disconcert him either, in spite of their epaulettes and orders, and titles thick as falling snowflakes.