Answer:
-Sees a "stranger" (it's her husband) in the crowd
-His reaction- writhing with anger, tries to hid it, must be calm so no one knows that Hester is his wife
-Her reaction- she is shocked, becomes pale
The diction of Steinbeck here in apparently describing the dustbowl conditions of the Dirty Thirties is speaking of "tenant men" or presumably men who were tenant farmers perhaps who were allowed to live on the land in return for working it and that they "scuffed" their way home indicates that the dust was so thick they had to scuff but also perhaps that since they could barely make a living under the poor agricultural conditions they did not walk confidently but scuffed.
Lovely is better for a more sweet polite type of tone, while gorgeous is more for attractiveness and astonishment. It really depends on the context, though, and since this is lacking information this is all I can really say.
Have a good day :3
