Clair, brushing her own
curls; which were beautiful and crinkled all over her head,
while my hair was straight. "I don't suppose she ever saw a
Cavalier before."
"St. Clair, you are too bad!" said Miss Mary. "Miss Randolph
is a stranger."
St. Clair made no answer, but finished her hair and ran off;
and presently the others filed off after her; and a loud
clanging bell giving the signal, I thought best to go too.
Every room was pouring forth its inmates; the halls and
passages were all alive and astir. In the train of the moving
crowd, I had no difficulty to find my way to the place of
gathering.
This was the school parlour; not the one where I had seen Mme.
Ricard. Parlours, rather; there was a suite of them, three
deep; for this part of the house had a building added in the
rear. The rooms were large and handsome; not like school
rooms, I thought; and yet very different from my home; for
they were bare. Carpets and curtains, sofas and chairs and
tables, were in them to be sure; and even pictures; yet they
were bare; for books and matters of art and little social
luxuries were wanting, such as I had all my life been
accustomed to, and such as filled Mme.
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