Though it is true, for a woman who had no use of her legs, she
displayed astonishing reach in her arms. Her face was a mass of puckers
burnt through by coal-black eyes. Her mouth was so tucked and folded
inward that she appeared to have swallowed her lips. In the daytime she
wore a black silk cap tied under the chin, and a dimity short gown over
a quilted petticoat. Tante-gra'mere was rich in stored finery. She had
inherited brocades, and dozen dozens of linen, including sheets and
napkins. Her things were washed by themselves and bleached on their own
green, where the family washing never dared intrude.
Fortunately for Angelique, tante-gra'mere's hours were early, and she
slept as aged people seldom do. At sunset, summer or winter, she had
herself promptly done up in linen, the whip placed near her hand, and
her black woman's bed made within reach on the floor. She then went into
a shell of sleep which dancing-parties in the house had not broken, and
required no further attention until the birds stirred in the morning.
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