Waverley; or, 'Tis sixty years since — Volume 1Scott, Walter
History
Waverley; or, 'Tis sixty years since — Volume 1
Scott, Walter
Historical fiction; Jacobite Rebellion, 1745-1746 -- Fiction; Scotland -- History -- 18th century -- Fiction
The drawing-room of Flora Mac-Ivor was furnished in the plainest
and most simple manner; for at Glennaquoich every other sort of
expenditure was retrenched as much as possible, for the purpose of
maintaining, in its full dignity, the hospitality of the
Chieftain, and retaining and multiplying the number of his
dependants and adherents. But there was no appearance of this
parsimony in the dress of the lady herself, which was in texture
elegant, and even rich, and arranged in a manner which partook
partly of the Parisian fashion and partly of the more simple dress
of the Highlands, blended together with great taste. Her hair was
not disfigured by the art of the friseur, but fell in jetty
ringlets on her neck, confined only by a circlet, richly set with
diamonds. This peculiarity she adopted in compliance with the
Highland prejudices, which could not endure that a woman's head
should be covered before wedlock.
Flora Mac-Ivor bore a most striking resemblance to her brother
Fergus; so much so that they might have played Viola and Sebastian
with the same exquisite effect produced by the appearance of Mrs.
Henry Siddons and her brother, Mr. William Murray, in these
characters. They had the same antique and regular correctness of
profile; the same dark eyes, eye-lashes, and eye-brows; the same
clearness of complexion, excepting that Fergus's was embrowned by
exercise and Flora's possessed the utmost feminine delicacy. But
the haughty and somewhat stern regularity of Fergus's features was
beautifully softened in those of Flora. Their voices were also
similar in tone, though differing in the key. That of Fergus,
especially while issuing orders to his followers during their
military exercise, reminded Edward of a favourite passage in the
description of Emetrius:
--whose voice was heard around,
Loud as a trumpet with a silver sound.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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