The Life of the Fly 



made me happy all the year round, there was 

 another entertainment which I found particu- 

 larly attractive in winter, in frosty weather, 

 when the snow lay long on the ground. Against 

 the far wall stands the fireplace, as monu- 

 mental in size as at my grandmother's. Its 

 arched cornice occupies the whole width of the 

 room, for the enormous redoubt fulfils more 

 than one purpose. In the middle is the hearth, 

 but, on the right and left, are two breast-high 

 recesses, half wood and half stone. Each of 

 them is a bed, with a mattress stuffed with 

 chaff of winnowed corn. Two sliding planks 

 serve as shutters and close the chest if the 

 sleeper would be alone. This dormitory, 

 sheltered under the chimney-mantel, supplies 

 couches for the favoured ones of the house, 

 the two boarders. They must lie snug in there 

 at night, with their shutters closed, when the 

 north-wind howls at the mouth of the dark 

 valley and sends the snow awhirl. The rest 

 is occupied by the hearth and its accessories: 

 the three-legged stools; the salt-box, hanging 

 against the wall to keep its contents dry; the 

 heavy shovel which it takes two hands to wield ; 

 lastly, the bellows similar to those with which 

 I used to blow out my cheeks in grandfather's 

 house. They consist of a mighty branch of 



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