Goodwin was navy through and through.

Little disappointed, then, she turned attention to Chat of the Social World, gossip which exercised potent fascination upon the girl's intelligence. She devoured with more avidity than she had her food those pretentiously phrased chronicles of the snobocracy […] distilling therefrom an acid envy that robbed her napoleon of all its savour.

to hive a swarm of bees

A temple, sacred to the queen of love.