The veil offered Nell protection from unwanted scrutiny. Many New Atlantis 
career women also used the veil as a way of meeting the world on their own 
terms, ensuring that they were judged on their own merits and not on their 
appearance. It served a protective function as well, bouncing back the harmful 
rays of the sun and intercepting many deleterious nanosites that might 
otherwise slip unhindered into the nose and mouth.