"Oh, it is heaven, heaven!" she panted, as with great starry eyes she looked down upon the splendid company. "And I, I could so enjoy it all, had I only been born to it! Was I born to it? Oh, no, no, it could not be!"
"Who knows?" faintly asked her Fairy.
But Sally spent not much time in asking longing questions. The room seemed filled with the odor of musk, attar of roses, and cologne, flowers, and perfumes of many kinds.
There was the governor, brilliant as a king, in purple velvet coat, gold lace, a white, flowered waistcoat with great frills of costly lace adown the front and falling over his white hands.
Shining knee-buckles flashed back the light from hundreds of candles, which caught also the light from gleaming stones in the buckles of his high-heeled shoes. A man of fancy-fine appearance, but looked upon with eyes that loved him not, but rather despised him.
The ladies were like Fairy dreams, in stiff, brocaded-silks, sheeny satins, ribbons, lace, jewels, and necklaces of gold, amber, and medallions—round stones with faces cut on them.
With dazzled eyes, Sally gazed upon the courtlike appearance of Sir Percival Grandison, his wife, daughter, and niece. But her eyes lingered long on the Lady Rosamond Earlscourt.
Never in her brightest visions had the poor maid watching from the platform beheld such radiance. The powdered hair was cushioned high on her head, and held between the puffs were white plumes and glossy leaves, joined in loops of small gilt chains.
Her bodice, or short waist, of pink velvet was laced over gauze puffings and ran down both in front and at the back into long points over an upper skirt of white lace figured all over with threads of gold. The overskirt of gauze and gold was looped high at the sides over a skirt or petticoat of white brocaded satin with a figure of pink roses. On cheek and chin were small black patches bringing out in vivid contrast the whiteness of her skin.
Her snowy neck and shoulders were bare, and a string of thick gold beads strung on a wire kept directly in the curve of her throat. Gold bracelets with sparkling gems were on her white arms, a spray of pink roses was against her bosom, and the feet that peeped plainly from beneath her skirt were in white laced shoes, with high heels and rosettes from which glistened the bright tints of pink stones.