There was a good deal of whispering and laughing among them, and I felt without looking at them that they were not gentle-folk, at least such gentle-folk as I knew.
But presently I had the most painful sense of being stared out of countenance, and lifting my eyes I found the eyes of one of the visitors fixed upon me with so rude and insolent a gaze that the colour rushed into my cheeks as though some one had struck me.
The person was a youngish man, dressed in what I took to be the height of fashion.

We know little enough about fashion, and my grandfather's knee-breeches and frilled shirt were very smart in the Forties.

The young man had red hair and very bold blue eyes; his complexion was ruddy, and his strong white teeth showed under his red moustache.
At the moment of looking at him I was aware of the greatest aversion and fear within myself.

I lowered my eyes and devoted myself to what I was doing, painfully conscious all the time of the colour in my cheeks which must make me conspicuous to those who were looking at me.

I heard a little giggle; then the voice of one of the ladies very slightly subdued-- "Oh, come away, Dick.