She was wrapped in the folds of a long otter-skin coat, and wore a toque of the same fur on her head.
There was something hard, almost contemptuous, in the expression of her face.
'The goblet will not come on for some time yet,' she observed to the Princess, as she resumed her seat.
Every object passed through her hands.

She was much tempted by a centaur cut in a sardonyx, a very exquisite piece of workmanship, part, perhaps, of the scattered collection of Lorenzo the Magnificent.

She took part in the bidding, communicating her offers to the auctioneer in a low voice without raising her eyes to him.

Presently the competition stopped; she obtained the intaglio for a good price.
'A most admirable acquisition,' observed Andrea Sperelli from behind her chair.
Elena could not repress a slight start.

She took up the sardonyx and handed it to him to look at over her shoulder without turning round.