The Rush for the Spoil (La Curée): A Realistic NovelZola, Émile
General
The Rush for the Spoil (La Curée): A Realistic Novel
Zola, Émile
Paris (France) -- Social life and customs -- Fiction
The marvel of the suite, however, the apartment that all Paris talked
about, was the dressing-room. Folks said: "Beautiful Madame Saccard's
dressing room," as one says; "The Gallery of Mirrors at Versailles."
This apartment was situated in one of the towers of the mansion, just
over the little buttercup drawing-room. On entering it one fancied
oneself in a large circular tent, a fairy-like tent, pitched in full
phantasy by some love-sick amazone. In the centre of the ceiling a
crown of chased silver held up the drapery of the tent, which extended
cupola-like to the walls, and then fell straight to the floor. This
drapery, these rich hangings, were formed of pink silk covered with a
muslin of a very open texture, which was caught in plaits at intervals.
A band of lace separated the plaits, and silver fillets descended from
the crown and glided along the hangings on either side of each of these
bands. Here the pinkish grey of the bedroom grew brighter, became a
pinkish white, like naked flesh. And in this bower of lace, beneath
these curtains which hid all the ceiling save a bluish cavity inside
the small circle described by the crown, where Chaplin had painted a
laughing cupid, looking down and preparing his dart, one could have
fancied oneself at the bottom of a sweetmeat box, or in some precious
jewel-case, enlarged and made to display the nudity of a woman instead
of the brilliancy of a diamond. The carpet of snowy whiteness stretched
around without the least flowery design. A wardrobe with plate glass
doors, and the two panels of which were mounted with silver; a couch,
two arm-chairs, some white satin stools; a large toilet table, with a
slab of pink marble, and the legs of which where screened by flounces
of muslin and lace, furnished the room. The glasses, the vases, and the
basin on the toilet table, were of old Bohemian crystal, streaked pink
and white. And there was yet another table, incrusted with silver like
the wardrobe, and on which all the implements, the toilet utensils,
were ranged; it was like a strange surgical case, displaying a large
number of little instruments, the purpose of which was not readily
guessed--back scrapers, shining brushes, files of every dimension and
every shape, straight and curved scissors, every variety of pincers and
pins. Each one of these objects in silver and ivory was marked with
Renée's monogram.
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