and its
monumental sideboard, adorned with old porcelain and marvelous pieces of
ancient plate. She used to go upstairs again as quickly as possible, for
her home was on the first floor, in the three rooms, the bed, dressing
and small drawing room above described. Twice already she had done the
bedchamber up anew: on the first occasion in mauve satin, on the second
in blue silk under lace. But she had not been satisfied with this; it
had struck her as "nohowish," and she was still unsuccessfully seeking
for new colors and designs. On the elaborately upholstered bed, which
was as low as a sofa, there were twenty thousand francs' worth of POINT
DE VENISE lace. The furniture was lacquered blue and white under designs
in silver filigree, and everywhere lay such numbers of white bearskins
that they hid the carpet. This was a luxurious caprice on Nana's part,
she having never been able to break herself of the habit of sitting on
the floor to take her stockings off. Next door to the bedroom the little
saloon was full of an amusing medley of exquisitely artistic objects.
Against the hangings of pale rose-colored silk--a faded Turkish rose
color, embroidered with gold thread--a whole world of them stood sharply
outlined. They were from every land and in every possible style. There
were Italian cabinets, Spanish and Portuguese coffers, models of Chinese
pagodas, a Japanese screen of precious workmanship, besides china,
bronzes, embroidered silks, hangings of the finest needlework. Armchairs
wide as beds and sofas deep as alcoves suggested voluptuous idleness and
the somnolent life of the seraglio. The prevailing tone of the room
was old gold blended with green and red, and nothing it contained too
forcibly indicated the presence of the courtesan save the luxuriousness
of the seats. Only two "biscuit" statuettes, a woman in her shift,
hunting for fleas, and another with nothing at all on, walking on her
hands and waving her feet in the air, sufficed to sully the room with a
note of stupid originality.

Through a door, which was nearly always ajar, the dressing room was
visible. It was all in marble and glass with a white bath, silver jugs
and basins and crystal and ivory appointments. A drawn curtain filled
the place with a clear twilight which seemed to slumber in the warm
scent of violets, that suggestive perfume peculiar to Nana wherewith the
whole house, from the roof to the very courtyard, was penetrated.

The furnishing of