So that very soon he had a good deal of money at
his command. The first thing he did was to remove his apparatus
and oddities into a closet in the room. Then he placed his bed
and a few other necessaries on each side of the hearth, and
parted them from the rest of the room by two screens of Indian
fabric. Then he put an elegant couch for the lady to lie upon,
in the corner where his bed had formerly stood; and, by degrees,
every day adding some article of luxury, converted it, at length,
into a rich boudoir.
Every night, about the same time, the lady entered. The first
time she saw the new couch, she started with a half-smile; then
her face grew very sad, the tears came to her eyes, and she laid
herself upon the couch, and pressed her face into the silken
cushions, as if to hide from everything. She took notice of each
addition and each change as the work proceeded; and a look of
acknowledgment, as if she knew that some one was ministering to
her, and was grateful for it, mingled with the constant look of
suffering. At length, after she had lain down as usual one
evening, her eyes fell upon some paintings with which Cosmo had
just finished adorning the walls. She rose, and to his great
delight, walked across the room, and proceeded to examine them
carefully, testifying much pleasure in her looks as she did so.
But again the sorrowful, tearful expression returned, and again
she buried her face in the pillows of her couch.
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