Here curiosity put on a new form; the women servants,
determined to have their wishes gratified as well as the men, had
arranged themselves on each side of the passage through which the
count must pass. At so strange an appearance, Thaddeus drew back; but
supposing that it might be a custom of the country, he proceeded
through this fair bevy, and bowed as he walked along to the low
curtesies which they continued to make, until he entered his
apartment and closed the door.
The unhappy are ever restless; they hope in every change of situation
to obtain some alteration in their feelings. Thaddeus was too
miserable awake not to view with eagerness the bed on which he
trusted that, for a few hours at least, he might lose the
consciousness of his desolation, with its immediate suffering.
CHAPTER XII.
THADDEUS'S FIRST DAY IN ENGLAND.
When he awoke in the morning, his head ached, and he felt as
unrefreshed as when he had lain down; he undrew the curtain, and saw,
from the strength of the light, it must be midday. He got up; and
having dressed himself, descended to the sitting-room, where he found
a good fire and the breakfast already placed. He rang the bell, and
walked to the window, to observe the appearance of the morning. A
heavy snow had fallen during the night; and the sun, ascended to its
meridian, shone through the thick atmosphere like a ball of fire.
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