Looking at herself carefully, a growing conviction began to be confirmed--that she was really rather pretty.
She had reddish-brown hair and--a rare conjunction--dark eyes and eyebrows and a delicate colour.

As a small girl she had lamented bitterly the fate that bad not given her the orthodox beauty of the dark or fair maiden, and in her school days she had passed for plain.

Now it began to dawn on her that she had beauty of a kind--the charm of strangeness; and her slim strong figure had the grace which a wholesome life alone can give.

She was in high spirits, curious, interested, and generous.

The people amused her, the place was a fairyland and outside the golden weather lay still and fragrant among the hills.
When she came down to the drawing-room she found the whole party assembled.