Setting of the three chicharrones

The prefix of the italicized word in the sentence is rather difficult

Read the excerpt from chapter 2 of the awakening. they chatted incessantly: about the things around them; their amusing adventure out in the water—it had again assumed its entertaining aspect; about the wind, the trees, the people who had gone to the chênière; about the children playing croquet under the oaks, and the farival twins, who were now performing the overture to “the poet and the peasant.” what is the correct meaning of the word “aspect” based on its usage in the excerpt? character negativity performance boredom

2. page 1: schlosser describes "just another gorgeous rocky mountain vista. and yet cheyenne mountain is hardly pristine." why do you think schlosser describes the beautiful cheyenne mountain scene in detail before describing the military installation that lies inside?