Belle Rose: A Romance of the Cloak and Sword — page 90: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

78 A DAUGHTER OF EVE. he penetrated a corridor at the end of which their feet en- countered a stair-way. The door closed, the light disap- peared, and they mounted the steps. Atthe top of this stair-way, the guide lifted a curtain, and both found them- selves at the entrance of a room wonderfully decorated. The silken folds of rich hangings covered the walls; a car- pet deadened the sound of footsteps; the furniture was in- laid with copper and mother-of-pearl; upon a brocatel sofa, crowned by a canopy, a2 woman clothed ina velvet dress red as scarlet was half reclining; her naked arms were lost in floods of lace, and her hand, whiter than a jas- mine flower, softly waved afan with green feathers. A mask concealed her face. No look could penetrate either form or contour, and yet whosoever had seen this woman thus reclining would have divined that she was radiantly beautiful. At somesteps from the sofa were two fauteuils; Belle-Rose and his guide sat down in them, on a sign from the lady with the black mask. A lamp shaded by an ala- baster globe diffused its white light over the hangings of purple silk; its pale rays were broken at the corners of the polished furniture, upon the carvings of the candelabra, with their thousand crystal facets, and the arrangement of light augmented the magic appearance of this place which was embalmed by the perfumes emanating from invisible scent- boxes. ‘You call yourself Belle-Rose?’’ said the lady to the falconer’s son. ‘Yes, madame.”’ ‘*And you come on the part of Monsieur d’Assonville?’’ ‘‘He must have informed you of the fact.”’ ‘*Have you known him a long time?”’ ‘‘My father was his father’s servitor.’’ | ‘*His servitor! You belong, then, to his family?”’ ‘‘IT am a soldier, and Monsieur d’Assonville has at times done me the honor to call me his friend.”’ ‘‘Ah!”’ said the lady, with an accent of surprise mixed with disdain. Then she continued: *‘Do you know nothing of the causes which led Mon- sieur d’Assonville to send you to me?’’ **Nothing.”’ ‘*How can you assure me of it?’’ **My word.’’ ‘Your word!’’ said she, shaking her fan. She did not add a syllable, but it was impossible to mis- take the expression of her voice. (e(o)/ Aa) Eboo S (