The Palace of Darkened Windows by Mary Hastings Bradley
page 55 of 345 (15%)
page 55 of 345 (15%)
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centuries again into her own time.
The room was a glitter of white and rose; the windows, unscreened, admitted the warm glow of late afternoon, and windows and doorway and bed were smothered in rose and white hangings. A white triple-mirrored dressing-table gleamed with gold and ivory pieces; a white fur rug was stretched before a rose silk divan billowy with plump pillows, and an open door beyond gave a view of shining tile and a porcelain bath. Near her was a baby grand piano in white enamel--reminding her of one she had seen in the White House--and she noted absently a pile of gaudily covered music upon it betokening tunes different from the Brahms she had heard downstairs. The maid indicated a pitcher of hot water in the bathroom--evidently pipes and faucets played no part with the shining tub--and then stepped outside, closing the door. After an instant's hesitation, Arlee took off her hat and bathed her face and hands, then moved slowly to the dressing table to glance at her hair. Hesitantly she picked up the shining brush and stared at the flourish of an unintelligible monogram upon the back. Whose brush was this? Whose room was she in? The place, vivid, silken, scented, was fairly breathing with occupancy. She laid down the brush without using it, touched her hair with absent fingers, and crossed to the windows. She looked down into a garden, a deep tangle of a garden, presided over by a huge lebbek tree that threw a pall of shadow upon the faintly moving flowers beneath. |
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