His wife was the soul of the
establishment. She possessed the gift of omnipresence. At one and
the same moment you might see her in the kitchen and in the
outhouses, in the hotel and in the cafe. The servants, of whom there
was a considerable number, answered to a look, a bock of her finger.
You could hear her clear voice from morning till night in the
courtyard or on the stairs. Everywhere she lent a helping hand, and
her busy fingers accomplished as much as all the men and maids put
together. With it all she was never out of temper, always had a word
or a smile for every passer-by, took a personal interest in each of
her guests, took instant notice of a diminished appetite or a pale
cheek, and always sent up lime-flower tea to anybody who happened to
come rather later than usual to breakfast.
The hotel was pretty full when Wilhelm arrived, but he made no
attempt to mix with the company he met twice a day at the table
d'hote. His French had grown somewhat rusty for want of practice,
and he did not trust himself to join in the exceedingly lively and
general conversation till he had regained something of his old
fluency in long daily talks with the landlord. Beside which, he did
not feel greatly drawn toward his fellowguests.
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