CHAPTER XVI 199
are often in request on such occasions ; and Mr . Rochester is so talented and so lively in society , that I believe he is a general favourite : the ladies are very fond of him ; though you would not think his appearance calculated to recommend him particularly in their eyes : but I suppose his acquirements and abilities , perhaps his wealth and good blood , make amends for any little fault of look ."
" Are there ladies at the Leas ?"
" There are Mrs . Eshton and her three daughters -- very elegant young ladies indeed ; and there are the Honourable Blanche and Mary Ingram , most beautiful women , I suppose : indeed I have seen Blanche , six or seven years since , when she was a girl of eighteen . She came here to a Christmas ball and party Mr . Rochester gave . You should have seen the dining-room that day -- how richly it was decorated , how brilliantly lit up ! I should think there were fifty ladies and gentlemen present -- all of the first county families ; and Miss Ingram was considered the belle of the evening ."
" You saw her , you say , Mrs . Fairfax : what was she like ?"
" Yes , I saw her . The dining-room doors were thrown open ; and , as it was Christmas-time , the servants were allowed to assemble in the hall , to hear some of the ladies sing and play . Mr . Rochester would have me to come in , and I sat down in a quiet corner and watched them . I never saw a more splendid scene : the ladies were magnificently dressed ; most of them -- at least most of the younger ones -- looked handsome ; but Miss Ingram was certainly the queen ."
" And what was she like ?"
" Tall , fine bust , sloping shoulders ; long , graceful neck : olive complexion , dark and clear ; noble features ; eyes rather like Mr . Rochester ' s : large and black , and as brilliant as her jewels . And then she had such a fine head of hair ; raven-black and so becomingly arranged : a crown of thick plaits behind , and in front the longest , the glossiest curls I ever saw . She was dressed in pure white ; an amber-coloured scarf was passed over her