84 DRIVING. 



fancy ; less favoured individuals must take things as they find 

 them, and make the best of the means at their disposal ; but 

 even then there is no excuse for disregarding certain well- 

 defined rules and commonly accepted precautions. 



THE COACH-HOUSE. 



Beginning with the coach-house, it is of supreme impor- 

 tance that it be dry. If damp, woodwork, ironwork, linings, 

 and cushions (though on the slightest suspicion of moisture the 

 latter should be removed within range of a stove) will all surfer. 

 It is preferable that the coach-house should be moderately 

 warm ; but dryness is the first consideration ; and plenty of 

 fresh air, and a few gallons of white water oil for use in o'ne or 

 other of the mineral-oil stoves, procurable everywhere, will 

 work wonders. Gas,, when laid on, may be used as a substi- 

 tute, but it has a tendency to tarnish metalwork, and, therefore 

 to increase labour. Air is of as much importance as warmth, 

 so the doors of the coach-house should be flung open every 

 day ; while linings and cushions should be carefully brushed ; 

 but the brush should not be too hard, lest it injure the fabric. 

 A small painter's brush should always be kept to get dust out 

 of corners and interstices into which the ordinary pattern can- 

 not penetrate. Of late years the seats of both open and closed 

 carriages have been made without the quilting and button pro- 

 cess, and the new departure is an improvement, as the inden- 

 tations where the buttons are sewn on harbour a great deal of 

 dust, whether the material be leather or cloth. The doors and 

 windows of closed carriages should be opened daily ; and in 

 the event of a vehicle not being required for use for some time 

 the cushions should be taken away, placed in holland wrap- 

 pings together with a handful of Russian leather shavings ; while 

 a few more should be placed on the carriage itself to preserve 

 the lining from the ravages of moth. 



A single-horse vehicle will not have the shafts removed ; but 



