A number of exquisitely dressed young men had gathered about the lady,
and although they paid her all manner of compliments, and said various
pretty things in admiration of her charming daughter, it was evident
that they regarded her as a rare curiosity, whose mental defects were
affording them a subject for amusement. There the lady stood, receiving
the congratulations of her friends and introducing her daughter Mattie,
who was dressed in a plain blue silk with white trimmings, a wreath of
orange blossoms on her head, and her golden hair hanging in simple curls
down her shoulders. Indeed, the lady suffered by comparison with her
daughter, whose charms were made more fascinating by the simplicity of
her dress and the quietness of her manners.
In truth, Mattie had no taste for the show and extravagance her mother
was so fond of indulging in. Nor could she see what object her mother
had, or what really was to be gained by giving this ball. She felt in
her heart that it was a piece of extravagance her father could not
afford as an honest man, and she saw prominent among the guests persons
she had long mistrusted of being his enemies.
Pages:
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263