He
felt a certain inward satisfaction at having well fulfilled his duty
as a father. And having left no stone unturned, he hoped that, among
so many hearts laid at Emilie's feet, there might be one to which her
caprice might give a preference. Incapable of repeating such an
effort, and tired, too, of his daughter's conduct, one morning,
towards the end of Lent, when the business at the Chamber did not
demand his vote, he determined to ask what her views were. While his
valet was artistically decorating his bald yellow head with the delta
of powder which, with the hanging "ailes de pigeon," completed his
venerable style of hairdressing, Emilie's father, not without some
secret misgivings, told his old servant to go and desire the haughty
damsel to appear in the presence of the head of the family.
"Joseph," he added, when his hair was dressed, "take away that towel,
draw back the curtains, put those chairs square, shake the rug, and
lay it quite straight. Dust everything.--Now, air the room a little by
opening the window."
The Count multiplied his orders, putting Joseph out of breath, and the
old servant, understanding his master's intentions, aired and tidied
the room, of course the least cared for of any in the house, and
succeeded in giving a look of harmony to the files of bills, the
letter-boxes, the books and furniture of this sanctum, where the
interests of the royal demesnes were debated over.
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