Above the Forties farther out from the fashionable center of the city.
affability cordial quality; friendliness or gentleness.
"Ah, don't make love to me!" in nineteenth-century attitudes, this remark of Ellen's means "do not flirt with me or pretend to pursue me romantically."
aigrettes bunches of the long, white showy plumes of the egret, worn for ornament on a hat or in the hair.
alacrity eager willingness or readiness, often manifested by quick, lively action.
bedizened dressed in a cheap, showy way.
blackguard a person who uses abusive language; a scoundrel or villain.
bock a dark beer traditionally drunk in the early spring.
bouton d'or (Fr.) golden or lustrous buttons; here, part of the interior décor that causes lustre and glitter.
chemisette a detachable shirt front formerly worn by women to fill in the neckline of a dress.
chignon a knot or coil of hair worn at the back of the neck.
Chippendale designating or of an eighteenth-century English style of furniture characterized by graceful lines and, often, rococo ornamentation.
clandestine kept secret or hidden, especially for some illicit purpose; surreptitious; furtive.
confabulations informal conversations; chats.
