But the three most distinguished —­ partly, perhaps, because the tallest figures of the band —­ were the Dowager Lady Ingram and her daughters, Blanche and Mary.  They were all three of the loftiest stature of women.  The Dowager might be between forty and fifty:  her shape was still fine; her hair (by candle-light at least) still black; her teeth, too, were still apparently perfect.  Most people would have termed her a splendid woman of her age:  and so she was, no doubt, physically speaking; but then there was an expression of almost insupportable haughtiness in her bearing and countenance.  She had Roman features and a double chin, disappearing into a throat like a pillar:  these features appeared to me not only inflated and darkened, but even furrowed with pride; and the chin was sustained by the same principle, in a position of almost preternatural erectness.  She had, likewise, a fierce and a hard eye:  it reminded me of Mrs. Reed’s; she mouthed her words in speaking; her voice was deep, its inflections very pompous, very dogmatical, —­ very intolerable, in short.  A crimson velvet robe, and a shawl turban of some gold-wrought Indian fabric, invested her (I suppose she thought) with a truly imperial dignity.

Blanche and Mary were of equal stature, —­ straight and tall as poplars.  Mary was too slim for her height, but Blanche was moulded like a Dian.  I regarded her, of course, with special interest.  First, I wished to see whether her appearance accorded with Mrs. Fairfax’s description; secondly, whether it at all resembled the fancy miniature I had painted of her; and thirdly —­ it will out! —­ whether it were such as I should fancy likely to suit Mr. Rochester’s taste.

As far as person went, she answered point for point, both to my picture and Mrs. Fairfax’s description.  The noble bust, the sloping shoulders, the graceful neck, the dark eyes and black ringlets were all there; —­ but her face?  Her face was like her mother’s; a youthful unfurrowed likeness:  the same low brow, the same high features, the same pride.  It was not, however, so saturnine a pride! she laughed continually; her laugh was satirical, and so was the habitual expression of her arched and haughty lip.

Genius is said to be self-conscious.  I cannot tell whether Miss Ingram was a genius, but she was self-conscious —­ remarkably self-conscious indeed.  She entered into a discourse on botany with the gentle Mrs. Dent.  It seemed Mrs. Dent had not studied that science:  though, as she said, she liked flowers, “especially wild ones;” Miss Ingram had, and she ran over its vocabulary with an air.  I presently perceived she was (what is vernacularly termed) trailing Mrs. Dent; that is, playing on her ignorance —­ her trail might be clever, but it was decidedly not good-natured.  She played:  her execution was brilliant; she sang:  her voice was fine; she talked French apart to her mamma; and she talked it well, with fluency and with a good accent.