o the
platform, and as the latter smiled recognition to the large number
present, exclamations of "Isn't she sweet?" "How beautiful!" "Almost an
angel as she is!" and other expressions of extreme admiration, filled
the room.

A deft little woman was Evalena Gray; a sprite of a thing, light, airy,
graceful, and with such a gliding, serpentine motion when walking,
glistening with jewels as she always did, that one instinctively thought
of some lithe and splendid leopard trailing along the edge of a jungle
with an occasional angry flash of sunlight upon it. From her feet, both
of which could have rested within your hand, and given room for just
such another pair, to her shoulders, which were sloping and narrow
though beautifully symmetrical, she was as straight as an arrow. Then
her slender, faultless neck carried her head a little forward, with a
slight bend to the side, which gave her face a half-daring or wholly
appealing expression, as people of different temperaments might look at
it, though it always attracted and held an observer, for it was as
strange a face as its owner was a strange woman. The chin stood there by
itself, though shapely, and at the point was prettily depressed by a
little dimple, just needed to save the lower part of the face from a
shrewish look. Above this the lower lip curved gradually to the edge of
the carmine point, but was stopped there by a sort of drawn look, which
with her dazzling white, though slightly irregular teeth, thin upper lip
quickly parting from the lower, at either pleasure or anger, rather
large, thin nostrils, which noticeably expanded and contracted with the
rise and fall of her not over large bosom, and her languid blue eyes,
one a trifle more closed than the other, but both looking demurely from
under lashes of wonderful depth of sweep and length--all gave the face,
which was witchingly attractive notwithstanding these marked features,
either a plaintively spiritual appearance, or a wickedly fascinating
expression beyond the power of description; while her hair, of that
nameless color which might be formed of gold and silver, mingled and
fell from her fine head, half hiding her delicate ears--pretty and
faultless ears they were--in wonderful richness and profusion.

Never were seen more beautiful hands and fingers than those belonging to
Miss Gray, and they had a way of assuming all manner of positions in
harmony with the changes of her expressive face and the motions o