apparently much more youthful, thanks to the assiduous care he bestowed
on his handsome person. His slightly curly, black hair was worn long,
so that he might often have occasion to push it back from his forehead,
with a hand as white and delicate as a woman's, upon one of whose taper
fingers sparkled an enormous diamond--a great deal too big to be real.
He was rather fancifully dressed, and always falling into such graceful,
languishing attitudes as he thought would be admired by the fair sex,
whose devoted slave he was. This Adonis never for one moment laid aside
his role. He punctuated his sentences with sighs, even when speaking of
the most indifferent matters, and assumed all sorts of preposterous airs
and graces, to the secret amusement of his companions. But he had great
success among the ladies, who all flattered him and declared he was
charming, until they had turned his head completely; and it was his firm
belief that he was irresistibly fascinating.

The tyrant was the most good-natured, easy-going creature imaginable;
but, strangely enough, gifted by nature with all the external signs of
ferocity. With his tall, burly frame, very dark skin, immensely thick,
shaggy eyebrows, black as jet, crinkly, bushy hair of the same hue, and
long beard, that grew far up on his cheeks, he was a very formidable,
fierce-looking fellow; and when he spoke, his loud, deep voice made
everything ring again. He affected great dignity, and filled his role to
perfection.

Matamore was as different as possible, painfully thin--scarcely more
than mere skin and bones--a living skeleton with a large hooked nose,
set in a long, narrow face, a huge mustache turned up at the ends, and
flashing, black eyes. His excessively tall, lank figure was so emaciated
that it was like a caricature of a man. The swaggering air suitable to
his part had become habitual with him, and he walked always with immense