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of solid silver, furnished with every requisite for the table, having in
its centre, and in imitation of a window, eight small Venetian mirrors,
set in a silver frame. In a panel on the wall was a square opening, like
a little window, which was closed by a door of solid silver. This door
was fitted with hinges, like a shutter. On the shutter there glistened a
chased and gilt royal crown. Over it, and affixed to the wall, was a
bell, silver gilt, if not of pure gold.
Opposite the entrance of the chamber, in which Gwynplaine stood as if
transfixed, there was an opening in the marble wall, extending to the
ceiling, and closed by a high and broad curtain of silver tissue. This
curtain, of fairy-like tenuity, was transparent, and did not interrupt
the view. Through the centre of this web, where one might expect a
spider, Gwynplaine saw a more formidable object--a woman. Her dress was
a long chemise--so long that it floated over her feet, like the dresses
of angels in holy pictures; but so fine that it seemed liquid.
The silver tissue, transparent as glass and fastened only at the
ceiling, could be lifted aside. It separated the marble chamber, which
was a bathroom, from the adjoining apartment, which was a bedchamber.
This tiny dormitory was as a grotto of mirrors. Venetian glasses, close
together, mounted with gold mouldings, reflected on every side the bed
in the centre of the room. On the bed, which, like the toilet-table, was
of silver, lay the woman; she was asleep.
The crumpled clothes bore evidence of troubled sleep. The beauty of the
folds was proof of the quality of the material.
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