It communicated with a smaller
room, in which there were two little cribs, without any
mattresses. Next, came the parlour (always closed), filled with
furniture covered with sheets. Then a hall, which led to the
study, where books and papers were piled on the shelves of a
book-case that enclosed three quarters of the big black desk. Two
panels were entirely hidden under pen-and-ink sketches, Gouache
landscapes and Audran engravings, relics of better times and
vanished luxury. On the second floor, a garret-window lighted
Felicite's room, which looked out upon the meadows.
She arose at daybreak, in order to attend mass, and she worked
without interruption until night; then, when dinner was over, the
dishes cleared away and the door securely locked, she would bury
the log under the ashes and fall asleep in front of the hearth
with a rosary in her hand. Nobody could bargain with greater
obstinacy, and as for cleanliness, the lustre on her brass
saucepans was the envy and despair of other servants. She was most
economical, and when she ate she would gather up crumbs with the
tip of her finger, so that nothing should be wasted of the loaf of
bread weighing twelve pounds which was baked especially for her
and lasted three weeks.
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