Ordinarily she only came downstairs at
mealtimes, and she would feel rather lost on such days as she lunched
by herself in the lofty dining room with its Gobelin tapestry and its
monumental sideboard, adorned with old porcelain and marvelous pieces of
ancient plate. She used to go upstairs again as quickly as possible, for
her home was on the first floor, in the three rooms, the bed, dressing
and small drawing room above described. Twice already she had done the
bedchamber up anew: on the first occasion in mauve satin, on the second
in blue silk under lace. But she had not been satisfied with this; it
had struck her as "nohowish," and she was still unsuccessfully seeking
for new colors and designs. On the elaborately upholstered bed, which
was as low as a sofa, there were twenty thousand francs' worth of POINT
DE VENISE lace. The furniture was lacquered blue and white under designs
in silver filigree, and everywhere lay such numbers of white bearskins
that they hid the carpet. This was a luxurious caprice on Nana's part,
she having never been able to break herself of the habit of sitting on
the floor to take her stockings off. Next door to the bedroom the little
saloon was full of an amusing medley of exquisitely artistic objects.
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