which he has not received correction. This is doubtless the
cause of his being so very good now....
We have a dozen chamberlains in our service; one of them, Michael
Chronowski, will have finished his novitiate on Twelfth day, and the
occasion will be celebrated by certain ceremonies. It is the
chamberlains' duty to be always suitably dressed; they can enter our
apartments; they accompany us on foot or on horseback when we ride out,
and are always ready to carry our letters of invitation or our presents,
whenever we have any to send.
As for the other servants in the castle, I cannot even enumerate them; I
do not know the number of musicians, cooks, guards, Cossacks, and
waiting men and women. I can only say that five tables are spread every
day, and that two distributors (szafarz) are occupied from morning until
night in giving out all that is necessary for the kitchen. My mother is
often present at the distribution of the eatables; she carries with her
the keys of the closets in which are the spices, cordials, and
sweetmeats. Every morning the steward presents the bill of fare to my
parents, who approve or change it as they find it well or ill.
Our every-day life is regulated as follows: We rise in summer at six
o'clock, and in winter at seven. My three sisters and myself sleep in
the third story, in a large room with madame. Each of us has an iron bed
with curtains. Barbara, as the eldest, has two pillows and an eiderdown
coverlet; the rest of us have only one pillow and a woollen counterpane.
After having made a hurried toilet, we say our prayers in French, and
then begin our lessons. Our tutor formerly taught us to read, write, and
count in Polish, and the chaplain taught us our catechism; but Barbara
and I are now entirely under madame's direction; our two younger
sisters, however, still receive lessons from the tutor.
At eight we visit our parents, to wish them good morning, and take our
breakfast. In winter we eat soup made with beer, and in summer we drink
milk; on fast days we have a very good panada. After breakfast we all go
and hear mass in the chapel. Our chapel is very pretty. When the service
is ended, the chaplain says the morning prayers aloud in Latin; the
whole court repeat them; but to tell the truth, I have as yet neglected
to ask the meaning of them, and some day I must do it.
We then return to our apartment and recommence our studies. Madame makes
us write, under her dictation, lines fro
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