She confounded us for three minutes with her presence; she was a beauty of the great conscious public responsible order.

The young men, her companions, gazed at her and grinned: I could see there were very few moments of the day at which young men, these or others, would not be so occupied.

The people who approached took leave of their manners; every one seemed to linger and gape.

When she brought her face close to Mrs.Meldrum's--and she appeared to be always bringing it close to somebody's--it was a marvel that objects so dissimilar should express the same general identity, the unmistakable character of the English gentlewoman.

Mrs.Meldrum sustained the comparison with her usual courage, but I wondered why she didn't introduce me: I should have had no objection to the bringing of such a face close to mine.