CHAPTER XXIV. THE EXAMINATION.

 At last Jeanne said, “Where is this carriage taking me to, cardinal¹?”

 

“Back to your own house, countess.”

 

“My house—in the faubourg?”

 

“Yes, countess. A very small house to contain so many charms.”

 

They soon stopped. Jeanne alighted, and he was preparing to follow her, but she stopped him, and said, “It is very late, cardinal.”

 

“Adieu, then,” said he; and he drove away, absorbed with the scene at the ball.

 

Jeanne entered alone into her new house. Six lackeys² waited for her in the hall, and she looked at them as calmly as though she had been used to it all her life.

 

“Where are my femmes de chambre?” said she.

 

One of the men advanced respectfully.

 

“Two women wait for madame in her room.”

 

“Call them.” The valet obeyed.

 

“Where do you usually sleep?” said Jeanne to them, when they entered.

 

“We have no place as yet,” said one of them; “we can sleep wherever madame pleases.”

 

“Where are the keys?”

 

“Here, madame.”

 

“Well, for this night you shall sleep out of the house.”

 

The women looked at her in surprise.

 

“You have some place to go to?” said Jeanne.

 

“Certainly, madame; but it is late. Still, if madame wishes——”

 

“And these men can accompany you,” she continued, dismissing the valets also, who seemed rather pleased.

 

“When shall we return?” asked one of them.

 

“To-morrow at noon.”

 

They seemed more astonished than ever, but Jeanne looked so imperious that they did not speak.

 

“Is there any one else here?” she asked.

 

“No one, madame. It is impossible for madame to remain like this; surely you must have some one here.”

 

“I want no one.”

 

“The house might take fire; madame might be ill.”

 

“Go, all of you,” said Jeanne; “and take this,” added she, giving them money from her purse.

 

They all thanked her, and disappeared, saying to each other that they had found a strange mistress.

 

Jeanne then locked the doors and said triumphantly³, “Now I am alone here, in my own house.” She now commenced an examination, admiring each thing individually. The ground-floor contained a bath-room, dining-room, three drawing-rooms, and two morning-rooms. The furniture of these rooms was handsome, though not new. It pleased Jeanne better than if it had been furnished expressly for her. All the rich antiques disdained⁴ by fashionable ladies, the marvelous pieces of carved ebony, the glass lusters⁵, the gothic clocks; chefs-d’œuvre of carving⁶ and enamel⁷, the screens with embroidered⁸ Chinese figures, and the immense vases, threw Jeanne into indescribable raptures⁹. Here on a chimney-piece two gilded¹⁰ tritons were bearing branches of coral, upon which were hung jeweled fruits. In another place, on a gilded console table, was an enormous elephant, with sapphires¹¹ hanging from his ears, supporting a tower filled with little bottles of scent¹². Books in gilt¹³ bindings were on rosewood shelves. One room was hung with Gobelin tapestry¹⁴, and furnished in gray and gold; another, paneled in paintings by Vernet. The small rooms contained pictures. The whole was evidently the collection of years.

 

Jeanne examined it all with delight. Then, as her domino was inconvenient¹⁵, she went into her room to put on a dressing-gown of wadded silk; and, secure of meeting no one, she wandered from room to room, continuing her examination, till at last, her light nearly exhausted¹⁶, she returned to her bedroom, which was hung with embroidered blue satin.

 

She had seen everything, and admired everything: there only remained herself to be admired; and she thought, as she undressed before the long mirror, that she was not the object least worthy¹⁷ of admiration¹⁸ in the place. At last, wearied out with pleasurable excitement, she went to bed, and soon sank to sleep.

1 cardinal   

n.(天主教的)红衣主教；adj.首要的，基本的

参考例句：

• This is a matter of cardinal significance.这是非常重要的事。
• The Cardinal coloured with vexation. 红衣主教感到恼火，脸涨得通红。

2 lackeys   

n.听差( lackey的名词复数 )；男仆（通常穿制服）；卑躬屈膝的人；被待为奴仆的人

参考例句：

• When the boss falls from power, his lackeys disperse. 树倒猢狲散。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The singer was surrounded by the usual crowd of lackeys and hangers on. 那个歌手让那帮总是溜须拍马、前呼後拥的人给围住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 triumphantly   

ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地

参考例句：

• The lion was roaring triumphantly. 狮子正在发出胜利的吼叫。
• Robert was looking at me triumphantly. 罗伯特正得意扬扬地看着我。

4 disdained   

鄙视( disdain的过去式和过去分词 )； 不屑于做，不愿意做

参考例句：

• I disdained to answer his rude remarks. 我不屑回答他的粗话。
• Jackie disdained the servants that her millions could buy. 杰姬鄙视那些她用钱就可以收买的奴仆。

5 lusters   

n.光泽( luster的名词复数 )；光辉；光彩；荣耀

参考例句：

• Manna in cobweb lusters with lightness. 蛛网上的甘露光彩轻盈。 来自互联网

6 carving   

n.雕刻品，雕花

参考例句：

• All the furniture in the room had much carving.房间里所有的家具上都有许多雕刻。
• He acquired the craft of wood carving in his native town.他在老家学会了木雕手艺。

7 enamel   

n.珐琅，搪瓷，瓷釉；(牙齿的)珐琅质

参考例句：

• I chipped the enamel on my front tooth when I fell over.我跌倒时门牙的珐琅质碰碎了。
• He collected coloured enamel bowls from Yugoslavia.他藏有来自南斯拉夫的彩色搪瓷碗。

8 embroidered   

adj．绣花的

参考例句：

• She embroidered flowers on the cushion covers. 她在这些靠垫套上绣了花。
• She embroidered flowers on the front of the dress. 她在连衣裙的正面绣花。

9 raptures   

极度欢喜( rapture的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Her heart melted away in secret raptures. 她暗自高兴得心花怒放。
• The mere thought of his bride moves Pinkerton to raptures. 一想起新娘，平克顿不禁心花怒放。

10 gilded   

a.镀金的，富有的

参考例句：

• The golden light gilded the sea. 金色的阳光使大海如金子般闪闪发光。
• "Friends, they are only gilded disks of lead!" "朋友们，这只不过是些镀金的铅饼！ 来自英汉文学 - 败坏赫德莱堡

11 sapphires   

n.蓝宝石，钢玉宝石( sapphire的名词复数 )；蔚蓝色

参考例句：

• Again there was that moment of splintered sapphires before the lids, dropping like scales, extinguished it. 她眼眶中又闪烁出蓝宝石的光彩，接着眼睑象鱼鳞般地垂落下来，双目又黯然失色了。 来自辞典例句
• She also sported a somewhat gawdy gold watch set with diamonds and sapphires. 她还收到一块镶着钻石和蓝宝石的金表。 来自辞典例句

12 scent   

n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉

参考例句：

• The air was filled with the scent of lilac.空气中弥漫着丁香花的芬芳。
• The flowers give off a heady scent at night.这些花晚上散发出醉人的芳香。

13 gilt   

adj.镀金的；n.金边证券

参考例句：

• The plates have a gilt edge.这些盘子的边是镀金的。
• The rest of the money is invested in gilt.其余的钱投资于金边证券。

14 tapestry   

n.挂毯，丰富多采的画面

参考例句：

• How about this artistic tapestry and this cloisonne vase?这件艺术挂毯和这个景泰蓝花瓶怎么样？
• The wall of my living room was hung with a tapestry.我的起居室的墙上挂着一块壁毯。

15 inconvenient   

adj.不方便的，令人感到麻烦的

参考例句：

• You have come at a very inconvenient time.你来得最不适时。
• Will it be inconvenient for him to attend that meeting?他参加那次会议会不方便吗？

16 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

17 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

18 admiration   

n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕

参考例句：

• He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
• We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。