HUGUENOT HOME LIFE IN AMERICA 411 



white, were delicately beautiful, and became heirlooms in 

 many a family. 



"The bedroom of my mother's grandmother L'Es- a French 

 trauge," says the author, "has often been described to Bedroom 

 me. The floor was painted as nearly as possible to match 

 the subdued gold of the linen hangings. The ceilings 

 and side walls were whitewashed with lime. The win- 

 dows and dressing-tables were hung with tastefully ar- 

 ranged draperies, bordered with a grapevine pattern em- 

 broidered in white, and further trimmed at the edge with 

 a knitted fringe of white linen yarn. The tall four-posted 

 bedstead of carved mahogany was j^rovided with a tester, 

 with long draw-curtains. Over the high and downy bed 

 lay a fringed and embroidered coverlet of the same linen. 

 An immense stuffed chair, running easily upon wooden 

 globes the size of billiard balls, which were the precursors 

 of the modern caster, had a very high back and side 

 wings, against which the head might rest. The linen 

 yarn for the draperies of this room was all said to have 

 been spun by the first Mme. L' Estrange and her daugh- 

 ters, and it was afterwards woven under their direction 

 and embroidered by themselves. ' ' 



The cultivated taste and the dainty arts brought from Mome 



-r- T ,T 1 ,. ii TT ^ 1 Attractions 



France made the homes of the Huguenots much more 

 attractive in appearance than those of the other colonists, 

 even though the latter might have far more wealth. The 

 same difference was manifest in dress. The French- 

 woman's fine eye for colour, and her delicate skill with 

 brush, needle and bobbin, united to produce more attract- 

 ive results. Similar touches of taste and skill appeared 

 everywhere, and gave distinction to the Huguenot homes, 

 whatever the owner's social standing in France. As neat 

 as their Dutch neighbours, they devised labour-saving 

 methods to maintain perfect cleanliness without being 

 slaves to it. As liberal as the English, they were far 

 more economical, and by their skill in cooking they ren- 

 dered palatable and digestible the coarsest fare. They 



