When de Sigognac was left alone, and at liberty to think over
quietly the odd situation in which he found himself, he looked at his
magnificent surroundings with surprise as well as admiration--for he had
never in his life seen, or even imagined, such splendour and luxury. The
rich glowing colours of the chimerical flowers and foliage embossed on
a golden ground of the Spanish leather on the walls, the corresponding
tints in the frescoed ceiling and the heavy, silken hangings at the
windows and doors and round the bed, the elaborately carved and gilded
furniture, the luxurious easy-chairs and sofas, the large mirrors with
bevelled edges, and the dainty dressing-table, lavishly furnished with
all the accessories of the toilet, with its oval glass draped with lace
which was tied back with knots of gay ribbon, certainly did make up a
charming whole, and the wood fire burning brightly in the open fireplace
gave a cheerful, cosy air to it all.
Our poor young baron blushed painfully as he caught sight of his own
figure in one of the long mirrors--his shabby, ill-fitting clothes
looked so sadly out of place amidst all this magnificence--and for
the first time in his life he felt ashamed of his poverty. Highly
unphilosophical this, but surely excusable in so young a man as our
hero.
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