"Keep your eyes open, Tom; you cannot fail to see him as he passes
through the room. You are lucky in being able to look over the
heads of all the crowd. No tiptoeing lady can intercept your view
even with her towering headdress!"
This was hardly true; for there were ladies whose headdresses were
of such monstrous proportions that the dame of five feet stood
seven feet high, taking the heels of her shoes and the tower on her
head into consideration! But luckily these extravagant follies were
confined only to the few, the majority of the ladies being content
with a headdress of more moderate dimensions.
There was a great buzz of talk going on as it became known that the
Duke was approaching--some eager to know if the Duchess would be
with him; others laughing at the name, and vowing that Mrs. Morley
could never bear to part with her dear Mrs. Freeman even for an
hour!
The doors at the end of the room were thrown suddenly open. The
master of the house appeared, leading with great distinction of
manner a little knot of guests, who passed through the crowded
outer reception room at a slow pace, returning the many salutations
of the company with great show of goodwill, disappearing presently
behind the curtains which shut off the innermost room where the
lady of the house was awaiting them, with some of the more select
and high-born guests.
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