The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 60: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

CHAPTER V THE OPERA BOX NINETEEN years had elapsed since the occurrences at Saxondale Castle, — nineteen pinions shed from the wing of Time and abandoned to the past, while he sweeps onward through the infinite mazes of Eternity! Yes, nineteen years had merged into the cumulating mass of centuries that are of bygone date, and this leap which our story accomplishes brings us to the middle of 1844. It was on a Saturday night, in the month of June, in the year just named, that the opera was more than usually erowded. Thither had flocked the fair, the noble, the rich, and the high-born, and to all outward appearance happiness was in every heart. The whole sweeping range of first-tier boxes was resplendent with diamonds, sparkling above lofty brows, upon glossy hair, around snowy necks, pendent to delicate ears, or circling arms as white as snow-flakes as they reclined gracefully on the crimson-cushioned parapet. Bright as those gems, too, shone beauty’s eyes, white as the pearls that blended their chaster attractions with those of the slittering gems were the teeth which were revealed in smiles between the parting roses of the lips. In respect to the male companions of those fair ones, we may observe that elegance and taste and highest fashion characterized their apparel; spotless were the gloves, snowy the white waistcoats and gorgeous the figured ones, unex- ceptionable the tie of the cravats, and brilliant the mirrored surface of the varnished boots, whose material was scarcely even of brown-paper thickness. | The scene was resplendent beyond description, — appear- ing to be a reflex of fairy-land with the combined glories of diamonds, pearls, splendid apparel, woman’s charms, and 43 COnniclooolkKks (SO)