she is, not to change the desolate exterior
which gives the look of a prison to the isolated structure. The sole
change was at the gate, which she enlivened by two brick columns
supporting an arch, beneath which carriages pass into the court-yard
where she planted trees.

The arrangement of the ground-floor is that of nearly all country houses
built a hundred years ago. It was, evidently, erected on the ruins of
some old castle formerly perched there. A large panelled entrance-hall
has been turned by Felicite into a billiard-room; from it opens an
immense salon with six windows, and the dining-room. The kitchen
communicates with the dining-room through an office. Camille has
displayed a noble simplicity in the arrangement of this floor, carefully
avoiding all splendid decoration. The salon, painted gray, is furnished
in old mahogany with green silk coverings. The furniture of the
dining-room comprises four great buffets, also of mahogany, chairs
covered with horsehair, and superb engravings by Audran in mahogany
frames. The old staircase, of wood with heavy balusters, is covered all
over with a green carpet.

On the floor above are two suites of rooms separated by the staircase.
Mademoiselle des Touches has taken for herself the one that looks toward
the sea and the marshes, and arranged it with a small salon, a large
chamber, and two cabinets, one for a dressing-room, the other for a
study and writing-room. The other suite, she has made into two separate
apartments for guests, each with a bedroom, an antechamber, and a
cabinet. The servants have rooms in the attic. The rooms for guests
are furnished with what is strictly necessary, and no more. A certain
fantastic luxury has been reserved for her own apartment. In that sombre
and melancholy habitation, looking out upon the sombre and melancholy
landscape, she wanted the most fantastic creations of art that she
could find. The little salon is hung with Gobelin tapestry, framed in
marvellously carved oak. The windows are draped with the heavy silken
hangings of a past age, a brocade shot with crimson and gold against
green and yellow, gathered into mighty pleats and trimmed with fringes
and cords and tassels worthy of a church. This salon contains a chest
or cabinet worth in these days seven or eight thousand francs, a carved
ebony table, a secretary with many drawers, inlaid with arabesques of
ivory and bought in Venice, with other noble Gothic furniture. Here too
are