Short story lines: help with meaning
Hello everyone! :)
I was just reading an old short story by Holloway Horn, and I found some sentences that I have not really understood.
1) The hint of strength around her mouth was not quite so evident perhaps (I don't understand what the strength of the girl has to with her own mouth)
2) A good-looking face, but not so strong as the girl's in spite of her prettiness. (Isn't "strong" a compliment here? I just can't grasp the meaning.)
3) Her hair was the colour of oaten straw in autumn and her deep blue eyes were dark in the GATHERING night.

Thank you so much!
Giada

Question

Short story lines: help with meaning
Hello everyone! :)
I was just reading an old short story by Holloway Horn, and I found some sentences that I have not really understood.
1) The hint of strength around her mouth was not quite so evident perhaps (I don't understand what the strength of the girl has to with her own mouth)
2) A good-looking face, but not so strong as the girl's in spite of her prettiness. (Isn't "strong" a compliment here? I just can't grasp the meaning.)
3) Her hair was the colour of oaten straw in autumn and her deep blue eyes were dark in the GATHERING night.

Thank you so much!
Giada

Answer

I forgot to write another one: "The note in her voice was not lost on the man by her side."
What does "lost" mean here? 
Thank you so much:)

Answer

Thank you so much! Everything is clearer now;)

Answer

1. He means something about her mouth implies that she is strong - not physically, but instead that she is tough or maybe ethically upstanding. 
2. Yes, strong is a compliment, with same meaning as number 1.
3. "The gathering night" is a fancy way of saying "it is getting dark" or "the sun is setting."  I dont think "gathering" is used that way in any other context, though it probably was 500 years ago.