He was smartly dressed, and in a rather affected way.

His hair was long, he wore a moustache and a short imperial, and talked in a languid way in a somewhat obscure manner.

These were the traits Juliet disliked in Basil.

She would rather have seen him a spruce well-groomed man about town like Cuthbert.

But at the present moment Basil's face was flushed, and he spoke hurriedly, evidently laboring under great stress of emotion.
"Have you heard the news ?" he said, dropping into a chair and casting a side look at the evening paper which Peter still held.
"If you mean about the death--" "Yes; Aunt Selina has been murdered.