CHAPTER VII 

 HOTELS AND OTHERWISE 



PEOPLE talked a great deal about the 

 discomfort of Irish hotels. 

 The smaller ones are primitive, with 

 queer little poky bedrooms, yet they are generally 

 clean and quite comfortable, but — there are one 

 or two — of the pretentious class, and otherwise, 

 which are not sweet to remember. 



There is one on the south coast which I was 

 recommended to go to. Two pretty houses with 

 nice rooms, if they had been cleaned for years — 

 or even dusted. 



One maid endeavoured to wait on and do 

 housemaid for fourteen people, to make the beds 

 in both houses, and lay the tables — three over- 

 dressed daughters of the house gave no help. 



A look into the black hole representing a kitchen 

 made me never want to eat again. 



In the morning we counted, shamelessly, our 

 bag of active little animals, and I remember 

 the eldest of the party, a very gentle old lady, 

 proudly remarking once that she had beaten us all 

 with ten. « 



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