The simple-hearted widow gathered her belongings and prepared to follow her guide.
Lilith led the old lady across the hall and opened the door of a chamber opposite the one they had just left, and introduced her into the most elegant apartment she had ever seen.
It was upholstered in satin-wood, pale blue velvet embroidered with silver and white lace.
Aunt Sophie hesitated to sit down in her black alpaca gown on any of the elegantly covered chairs, and feared to lay down her black shawl and mashed bonnet anywhere, lest they should soil the delicate draperies.
At length Lilith relieved her funny embarrassment by taking those articles from her hands and hanging them in a handsome armoire, the door of which was one sheet of crystal mirror.
And then the simple old lady looked at the dressing-table with its draperies of pale blue velvet and fine white lace, and its accessories of pearl combs and pearl-handled brushes, and gold vases, and flaçons, and thence to the bed with its costly hangings of the same velvet and lace, in such distressing embarrassment that Lilith said to her at length:
“Madame Von Bruyin wished me to give you your choice of all the vacant chambers. If you do not like this one, I can show you a plainer.”
“Oh, yes, please do, honey! This is so awful grand! I wouldn’t dare to sit down on one of these chairs, and as to lying down in that grand bed—I couldn’t dream of such a thing! And that sounds so ungrateful of me, too, when the baroness is giving me the best of everything! But, honey, I ain’t used to it, and I couldn’t get used to it, and that is the solemn truth, so I hope you’ll excuse me,” said the old lady, in her soft, slow, deprecating tones.
“There is nothing in this world too good for you, dear Aunt Sophie! There is indeed scarcely anything good enough for you, we think,” said Lilith, as she took the little black bonnet and shawl from the armoire in which she had hung them, and led the way down the corridor to the rear of the building and opened a door at its extremity, and ushering the guest into a pretty, bright, fresh chamber, furnished in curled maple and gay chintz.
“How do you like this room?” inquired Lilith.