and thus , it seemed that never could a dubious eye be cast upon the artificial smiles that tore across their faces in reaction to some mild quip voiced solely in the hopes of pleasing or amusing them ; nor was there a scrutinizing gaze , nor even the crack of a sardonic smirk directed toward their exaggerated and overdone gestures of apology , gratitude , and hesitation , as these , too , were part and parcel of what people in this region of the world referred to , almost mechanically , as politeness .