Excerpt from Peculiar a Tale of the Great Transition
The hair is of a rich flaxen, the eyes blue and mild, the mouth delicately drawn, showing Cupid's bow in the curve of the upper lip, and disclosing, not too ostentatiously, the whitest teeth.
Her dress is significant of past rather than present familiarity with a fashionable wardrobe. If she ever wore jewels, she has parted with all of them, for there is not even a plain gold ring on her forefinger Her robe is a simple brown cashmere, not so distended by crinoline as to disguise her natural figure which is erect, of the average height, and harmoniously rounded. We defect this the better as she rises, looks a moment sorrowfully in the glass, and sighs to herself, "Fading! fading!"
There is a gentle knock at the door, and to her "Come in," an old black man enters.
"Good morning, Toussaint," says the lady; "what have you there?"
"Only a few grapes for Madame. They are Black Hamburgs, and very sweet. I hope Madame will relish them. They will do her good. Will she try some of them now?"
"They are excellent, Toussaint. And what a beautiful basket you have brought them in! You must have paid high for all this fruit, so early in the season. Indeed, you must not run into such extravagances on my account."
"Does Madame find her cough any better?"
"Thank you, Toussaint, I do not notice much change in it as yet. Perhaps a few more mild days like this will benefit me. How is Juliette?"
"Passablement bien. Pretty well. May I ask - ahem! Madame will excuse the question - but does her husband treat her with any more consideration now that she is ill?"
"My good Toussaint, I grieve to say that Mr. Charlton is not so much softened as irritated by my illness. It threatens to be expensive, you see."
"Ah! but that is sad, - sad! I wish Madame were in my house. Such care as Juliette and I would take of her! You look so much like your mother, Madame! I knew her before her first marriage. I dressed her hair the day of her wedding. People used to call her proud.
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