"No, Florence, you are a dissembler, for your sparkling blue eyes, bright cheeks, and soft brown hair are more Parisienne than Puritan, to say nothing of those white teeth and that sweet little mouth. No, my dear, there is nothing narrow about your face; in fact, I think it is almost round enough for a Breton peasant."
"You cruel woman! I shall never forgive you for such an insulting remark. You could say nothing worse except to call me buxom. I know I am not classic, or antique Etruscan, or Ptolemaic, but I don't think you need tell me to my face that I am _paysanne_."
"Don't lose your temper, dear. If I told the truth, I should say that your beauty is of that charming eclectic type which only America can produce. Intelligence and fidelity shine in your deep blue eyes, and any woman would give ten years of her life for your coloring, to say nothing of your superbly tall figure."
"I feel a trifle better, but I can't quite forgive you for the round face."
"If Miss Florence Moreland is still provoked, she may have revenge by telling me exactly what she thinks of my personal appearance and character as interpreted by my features."
"Mrs. Roswell Sanderson is most formal, but I assure her that if I speak, it will be to tell the truth."
"Come, Florence, I am really in earnest, and I promise not to be angry. I should so like to know exactly what you think of me."
"I think you are the dearest friend I ever had, and I don't intend to lose you by criticism."
"Nonsense, Florence, I promise not to be angry, and I feel that it will actually do me good."
"Well, if you will hear things quite as disagreeable as 'the round face,' here goes. I shall begin with your eyes. I believe novelists call them the lanterns of the soul. You have superb, dreamy, black eyes; eyes to fill a woman with envy or a man with love,--but they are both absent-minded and ambitious; they show a restless longing after unattained hopes. In other words, they are dissatisfied and cold, but from an artistic standpoint that only enhances their attractiveness."
"You horrid creature! But I promised to be quiet, so go on."
"So much for the eyes; now the nose. It is exquisitely moulded and classic. I shall dismiss the nose as perfect."