Sir John waved his handkerchief in triumph, welcoming them under an awning where carpets and cushions were spread, and whence the Countess could eye the field.

She was dressed ravishingly; slightly in a foreign style, the bodice being peaked at the waist, as was then the Portuguese persuasion.
The neck, too, was deliciously veiled with fine lace--and thoroughly veiled, for it was a feature the Countess did not care to expose to the vulgar daylight.

Off her gentle shoulders, as it were some fringe of cloud blown by the breeze this sweet lady opened her bosom to, curled a lovely black lace scarf: not Caroline's.

If she laughed, the tinge of mourning lent her laughter new charms.

If she sighed, the exuberant array of her apparel bade the spectator be of good cheer.