It was a hard thing, and she was prepared to detest the interloper.

Even to-night she would be a loser by his presence.

Under ordinary circumstances she would have gone to the dining-room with Maulevrier, and sat by him and waited upon him as he ate.

But she dared not intrude herself upon a meal that was to be shared with a stranger.
She looked at John Hammond critically, eager to find fault with his appearence; but unluckily for her present humour there was not much room for fault-finding.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, well-built.

His enemies would hardly deny that he was good-looking--nay, even handsome.