The hostess, still a pretty woman, with her wealth of fair hair and her
clear complexion, over whose delicate transparency the years had passed
with scarcely a trace, had at her right an elderly general with
numerous orders, who, being a great eater and a very poor
conversationalist, feasted his eyes alternately on his plate and on the
pretty faces, whispering to his neighbour remarks about the viands and
the feminine guests, whose artless simplicity--they consisted chiefly
of a noun and a laudatory adjective--showed a profoundly satisfied and
comfortable mood. At her left sat a highly esteemed friend of the
family, Dr. Bergmann, a young physician, a tutor in the Wurzburg
university, who, during the past three years had twice had the
opportunity of saving Frau von Jagersfeld and her eldest daughter, in
cases of severe illness, from threatening death, and to whom the whole
family therefore felt unbounded gratitude. Bergmann was a handsome
man, still under thirty, whose grave manner made him appear somewhat
older. A thoughtful brow, an absolutely straight nose, large grey
eyes, which on first meeting them looked cold and penetrating, lips
somewhat large, yet well modelled, dark beard, and a luxuriant head of
hair which was permitted to wave, stand up, or lie flat at will, were
the individual features which collectively formed a remarkably
interesting head.
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