And one of these apartments, the little Saloon of the Mirrors, was particularly famous.

Of circular shape and Louis XV style, it was surrounded by mirrors in _rococo_ frames, extremely rich, and most exquisitely carved.
"You will see all that by and by," continued Narcisse.

"At present we had better go in here if we want to breathe a little.

It is here that the arm-chairs from the adjacent gallery have been brought for the accommodation of the ladies who desire to sit down and be seen and admired." The apartment they entered was a spacious one, draped with the most superb Genoese velvet, that antique _jardiniere_ velvet with pale satin ground, and flowers once of dazzling brightness, whose greens and blues and reds had now become exquisitely soft, with the subdued, faded tones of old floral love-tokens.

On the pier tables and in the cabinets all around were some of the most precious curios in the palace, ivory caskets, gilt and painted wood carvings, pieces of antique plate--briefly, a collection of marvels.