Astounding
Surprisingly impressive
Console
To comfort someone or raise somebody's spirits
Degraded
Ruined, reduced in status, treated with contempt
Entreaties
Requests
Glides
To move smoothly in a quiet, continuous motion
Ignominy
Public shame or disgrace
Impertinent
Impolite, inappropriate, disrespectful
Indiscretion
Carelessness, lack of caution
Irony
Using language which expresses the opposite meaning as a means of sarcasm; a technique originally used in Greek tragedy whereby a character is left in the unknown yet the audience or reader knows the outcome
Optimism
Positive attitude towards a situation; hopefulness
Puritan
English Protestants of the 16th and 17th century who practiced extreme moral restriction
Scoundrel
Dishonest and unprincipled person
Speculation
Conjecture without evidence
Wretched
Miserable or unfortunate state
Vile
Awful, disgusting
Extravagant
Over the top
Mercenary
Primarily concerned with making money, even at the expense of ethics
Demmed
An archaic pronunciation of "damned"
Dowager
A widow with a title or property derived from her late husband
Edition de luxe
An edition of a book specifically printed and bound for its fine appearance
