With her skirts held high in both hands, she moved around among the
wreck of the cushions, turning over a bit with the toe of her slipper
now and then.
Madame wore velvet dinner-gowns, it is true, and her house was elegant
in its fine old furnishings bought generations ago; but only her
dressmaker and herself knew how many times those gowns had been ripped
and cleaned and remodelled. It was only constant housewifely skill that
kept the antique furniture repaired and the ancient brocade hangings
from falling into holes. None but a French woman, trained in petty
economies, could have guessed how little money and how much thought was
spent in keeping her table up to its high standard of excellence.
Now as she looked and estimated, counting the fingers of one hand with
the thumb of the other, a wish stirred in her kind old heart that she
need not take the child's money; but new cushions must be bought, and
she must be just to herself before she could be generous to others. So
she went on with her estimating and counting, and then called Gabriel to
consult with him.
"Much of the same hair can be used again," she said, finally, "and the
cushions were partly worn, so that it would not be right for you to have
to bear the whole expense of new ones. I shall keep sixteen,--no, I
shall keep only fifteen francs of your money, mademoiselle.
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