Madame Letitia, therefore, was at liberty to dispose of
her time as she pleased; she could fearlessly indulge in occupations
entirely contrary to etiquette, and she embraced this rare
opportunity in the course of the forenoon of examining the clothes,
which otherwise would have had this honor only after nightfall. But
the consequence was, that the usually serene forehead of Madame
Letitia grew dark, because she was by no means satisfied with the
performance of her laundress. Just as her busy hands took up another
piece from the basket and unfolded it, the door behind her opened.
She heard it, but did not turn, knowing very well that it was
Cordelia who entered her room, for no one else had the right of
taking such a liberty without being duly and formally announced.
"Cordelia," she exclaimed, "Cordelia, come and look at these towels
of the cook; all of them are already threadbare, and it is but a
year since I bought them. You ought to tell the cook very
emphatically that she should be more careful and not ruin my towels.
Do you hear, Cordelia?"
"Cordelia is not here," said a grave, angry voice behind her. Madame
Letitia started, and a deep blush suffused her cheeks. Close behind
her stood the emperor, fixing his stern eyes on his mother.
"The emperor!" she murmured, yielding to the first movement of
terror, and sinking back on her chair.
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