Much as this was, he was going to say more, ever so much more, but he
became conscious of a singular sort of grin upon every face; this grin
made him turn rapidly round to look for its cause. It explained itself at
once; at his very elbow was a lady, whom his heart recognized, though her
back was turned to him. She was dressed in a rich silk gown, pearl white,
with flowers and sprigs embroidered; her beautiful white neck and arms
were bare. She was sweeping up the room with the epilogue in her hand,
learning it off by heart; at the other end of the room she turned, and
now she shone full upon him.
It certainly was a dazzling creature. She had a head of beautiful form,
perched like a bird upon a throat massive yet shapely and smooth as a
column of alabaster, a symmetrical brow, black eyes full of fire and
tenderness, a delicious mouth, with a hundred varying expressions, and
that marvelous faculty of giving beauty alike to love or scorn, a sneer
or a smile. But she had one feature more remarkable than all, her
eyebrows -- the actor's feature; they were jet black, strongly marked,
and in repose were arched like a rainbow; but it was their extraordinary
flexibility which made other faces upon the stage look sleepy beside
Margaret Woffington's. In person she was considerably above the middle
height, and so finely formed that one could not determine the exact
character of her figure.
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