House and Garden 
itself retreating in 
shady seclusion behind 
its brilliant screen of 
geranium and fern. 
The additional awning, 
too, rising to a peak 
over the center, is 
effective in appearance 
and comfortable in hot 
weather. Sometimes, 
but very rarely, house¬ 
boats have three decks, 
one above another. 
They may then, how¬ 
ever, become top 
heavy, and there is no 
real need for such a vast amount of space in the 
ordinary way. Many owners have gardens on 
shore immediately at the back of their boats. 
The river authority on the Thames is the 
Conservancy, which exercises control over all 
craft. The point of greatest importance to 
house-boats consists of the stringent laws laid 
down for the disposal of domestic refuse. 
Nothing whatever is allowed to be thrown 
into the water. Everything must be taken 
ashore. This naturally affects in certain par¬ 
ticulars the construction of the boats, and the 
kind of accommodation provided. For con¬ 
venience, the water used in the kitchen for 
washing, etc., is sometimes permitted to run 
from the sink into the bilge underneath the 
floor of the boat. It is then pumped ashore 
THE GYPSY 
once or twice a week. This avoids the ne¬ 
cessity of constant journeying backward and 
forward over the gangway from boat to shore 
every time water is used. A filter should be 
kept for rain and river water. 
Furnishing one of these abodes is very 
much like arranging the interior of a small 
house or flat. Space is an important con 
sideration. Tables with flaps are advisable, 
or with the top fashioned with movable 
panels. There is no room for lumber. 
That should be disposed of ashore. Deck 
chairs, camp stools, light wicker lounges 
and tea tables must of course be pro¬ 
vided. Some bedrooms are arranged with 
bunks, as in staterooms aboard ship. As 
a rule, however, there is room enough for a 
small bed in each cham¬ 
ber. The provision of a 
broad cushioned settle in 
the saloon is found a great 
convenience at times 
when an extra bed is re¬ 
quired. Use can be found 
for any number of shelves 
and cupboards, so long as 
they are arranged where 
they will not interfere 
with the positions of the 
larger articles of furniture 
and the free movement 
of doors and windows. 
House-boats being 
flat-bottomed, an enor¬ 
mous weight can be placed 
upon them without ma¬ 
terially altering the height 
103 
