He no sooner recollected himself from his astonishment, than he
advanced to her with a graceful air of respect, and begged she would
do him the honour to walk a minuet with him. She seemed particularly
pleased with his application, and very frankly complied with his
request. This pair was too remarkable to escape the particular notice
of the company; Mr. Pickle was well known by almost everybody in the
room, but his partner was altogether a new face and of consequence
underwent the criticism of all the ladies in the assembly. One
whispered, "She has a good complexion, but don't you think she is a
little awry?" a second pitied her for her masculine nose; a third
observed, that she was awkward for want of seeing company; a
fourth distinguished something very bold in her countenance; and,
in short, there was not a beauty in her whole composition which
the glass of envy did not pervert into a blemish.
The men, however, looked upon her with different eyes; among
them her appearance produced a universal murmur of applause: they
encircled the space on which she danced, and were enchanted by her
graceful motion.
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