And the company! At first Richard saw only the pair who danced together
in the quadrille. If he had glanced about him he might have observed
that the gaze of nearly all who were not dancing was centred upon those
two.
Uncle Rufus was the plumpest, jolliest, most altogether delightful
specimen of the country gentleman that Richard had ever seen. His ruddy
face was clean-shaven, his heavy gray hair waved a little with a boyish
effect about his ears. He was carefully dressed in a frock coat of a cut
not so ancient as to be at all odd, and it fitted his broad shoulders
with precision. He wore a white waistcoat and a flowing black tie, which
helped to carry out the impression of his being a boy whose hair had
accidentally turned gray. As he danced he put every possible
embellishment of posture and step into his task, and when he bowed to
Roberta his attitude expressed the deepest reverence, offset only by his
laughing face as he advanced to take her hand.
But as for the girl herself--what was she? A beauty stepping out of a
portrait by one of the masters? She wore her grandmother's ball gown of
rose-coloured brocade, and her hair was arranged in the fashion that
went with it, small curls escaping from the knot at the back of her
head, a style which set off her radiant face with peculiarly piquant
effect.
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