Nina was a little breathless
and bewildered. She had heard a good deal about the fisher-maiden in the
far North, of her hardy out-of-door life, and her rough and serviceable
costume; and perhaps she had formed some mental picture of her--very
different from the actual appearance of this tall young Englishwoman,
whose clear, calm eyes, strongly marked eyebrows, and proud, refined
features were so striking. Here was no simple maiden in a suit of serge,
but a young woman of commanding presence, whose long cloak of
tan-colored velvet, with its hanging sleeves showing a flash of crimson,
seemed to Nina to have a sort of royal magnificence about it. And yet
her manner appeared to be very simple and gentle; she smiled as she
talked to Miss Burgoyne; and the last that Nina saw of her--as they all
left together in the direction of the corridor, Lionel obsequiously
attending them--was that the tall young lady walked with a most gracious
carriage. Nina made sure that they had all disappeared before she, too,
went down the steps; then she made her way to her own room, to get ready
for the final act. Miss Girond, of course, was also here; but Nina had
no word for Estelle; she seemed preoccupied about something.
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