She is a peacock in everything but beauty.
– Oscar Wilde
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Chapter 1. Lord Henry is referring to Lady Brandon whom Basil has just told he met at a party and she had a "curiously shrill voice." Henry goes on to say that she "treats her guests exactly as an auctioneer treats his goods" and "she tried to found a salon, and only succeeded in opening a restaurant." The cynical Henry holds a very unflattering view of women.