It was that of an obscure little palace where she had bought the hangings, and if Mrs.Baxter had had the courage to acknowledge ignorance, Adelaide would have told the truth.

As it was, she recognized that by methods such as this she could retain absolute control over people like Mrs.Baxter.
The lady from Baltimore decided on a more general scope.
"Ah, your room!" she said.

"Do you know whose it always reminds me of--that lovely salon of Madame de Liantour's ?" "What, of poor little Henrietta's!" cried Adelaide, and she laid her hand appealingly for an instant on Mrs.Baxter's knee.

"That's a cruel thing to say.

All her good things, you know, were sold years ago.