398 MORE POT-POURRI 



and there is nothing to fade or to detract from the beauty 

 of plants, etc., inside the room. My friend who was 

 afraid to use the small curtains said the only use of blinds 

 is in case of death. It is for that very reason I should 

 like blinds done away with. Drawing down blinds in 

 cases of death seems such a foolish fashion, when in time 

 of sorrow one wants the help of all the sunshine that can 

 be had. I must own sash windows are difficult to 

 manage with curtains. I myself do not like them cut in 

 two ; but even then they are not so ugly as smart blinds 

 edged with embroidery or lace. 



Many ask if white paint, especially on staircases, does 

 not prove unserviceable. I think white paint knocks off 

 less than any other, and there is no wear and tear on a 

 staircase except on the carpet in the middle. It is very 

 desirable to have a piece over at both ends of the stair- 

 carpet, so that when it gets worn it can be shifted either 

 up or down. This is a touch of economy beginning with 

 expense, as it requires a little more carpet. I have never 

 heard it suggested by the shopman who sells or lays the 

 carpet. To return to paint, it is essential that white 

 paint should be good, which depends entirely on using 

 the very best white lead. This is perfectly well known in 

 the trade, but it naturally costs more than the inferior 

 qualities, and so is seldom used. I never use varnish 

 except in London, as even the best varnish always turns 

 the paint yellow after a little time. I am obliged to own 

 that, though very cheap in the first instance, my favourite 

 white-washed walls do seem extravagant, as they are not 

 pretty unless constantly renewed and kept spotlessly 

 white, and that is what the holder of the purse-strings 

 will rarely agree to. White-washed walls soiled by smoke 

 look very unsatisfactory. A paper will look cleaner after 

 sixteen or seventeen years of wear than white-wash does 

 after two or three. 



