HOW THE HOUSE WAS BUILT 11 



Here are memories of many lands and of many 

 persons : of countries that I shall never see again, 

 for my travelhng days are over ; of kindly little gifts 

 from friends who are no longer among the living. 

 Some of the small objects are of absolutely no intrinsic 

 value but of a loveliness that is beyond all price, such 

 as beautiful shells and feathers. Then there are tiny 

 ancient tear-bottles, both brilliant and dainty in irides- 

 cent colouring of their decaying surface-flakes ; a little 

 silver Buddha; delicate pieces of Venetian glass; bronze 

 coins green with age ; old Church embroideries of gold 

 and colours upon white silk now faded and discoloured ; 

 ostrich eggs of ivory white and emu eggs of dim dusty 

 green ; little objects innumerable — eight foot by four 

 of them as a carpenter would say — a life's history in 

 a hieroglyphic writing that is legible to one person 

 only, but that to all comers presents a somewhat pretty 

 show. 



The deep panelled cupboards, too, are full of trea- 

 sures, arranged in those handy dark-green boxes with 

 loose lids such as are used for ribbons and delicate 

 fabrics in drapers' shops. Here are pieces of old 

 Venetian and Florentine stuffs ; wall-hangings, Church 

 vestments, brocades, damasks, embroideries, fringes, 

 braids, and great silk tassels. There are boxes of 

 Algerian and other embroidery silks, of crewels, of 

 chenilles, of coloured embroidery cottons ; a box of old 

 English patchwork and another of the bright pretty 

 peasant handkerchiefs of France and Italy. From 



