of the ride was their conversation so animated as before. Upon one thing she resolved: to renounce her purpose. His hatred she could endure; his contempt, never. Toward the close of an afternoon in September, the following bit of conversation accidentally came to her ear: "Don't you see whither you are drifting, Henry?" in Emma's voice. "What do you mean?" was Henry's reply. "You are allowing yourself to become completely infatuated with Miss Eveleth." "I do love her, I confess." she and Henry were left alone on the piazza, a thing that both had earnestly striven to avoid. "Miss Eveleth-Blanche-I wish to ask you a question," he said abruptly, "and I trust it will not offend you. Did you hear any of my conversation with Emma, day before yesterday?" She remained silent. "I am confident you did, and that it was the cause of your determination to leave us. What I then said is true; I do love you as I never have loved, never shall love, another woman. If my loving you seems to you the veriest folly, I have the satisfaction of knowing I but add one to the “You must know she will never love you in by no means small number of imbeciles in the return." "I presume she never will. At any rate, I shall never be so unwise as to acquaint her with my feelings." Blanche heard no more than this, but she decided to return to her home within a few days, and spare Henry the unhappiness she was confident would grow to be his if she remained. In the evening, she announced her purposed return to Boston in a couple of days. Learning this, Mrs. Mason and Emma made no comment; Henry, in a husky voice, asked: "Why this sudden departure?" "It can hardly be called sudden, as I have already overstayed the time I anticipated being with you, on my arrival here," returned Blanche. "I must go home and prepare for the winter's campaign of frivolity." world," bitterly. "Do "Have I said it did?" she returned archly. "What!" he cried, going nearer her. you mean my love does not displease you?" "No woman can be displeased with the love of an honorable man." "And do you, can you, give me love for love?" taking her face in his hands and looking directly into her eyes. "For God's sake do not trifle with me!"' "No, Henry,"-it was the first time she had ever addressed him by his given name,-"I will not trifle with you. During the earlier portion of my residence in your family, it was my constant aim to win your love, as I had won that of other gentlemen, merely for the sake of a conquest. The respect for you your manliness forced from me caused the renunciation of my despicable pur "That is not the reason you go away," he said pose, as the remembrance of it induced the strange nervously. questions I asked you while we were at the "haunted house.' A moment ago you asked me if I heard any of your conversation with Emma, day before yesterday. I did a little of it. Till then, I was not aware that you cared for me, other than as a friend, as I had learned to care for you. Since I decided to go away, I have gradually come to realize how essential to my future happiness you are; that to me you are more than a friend.” And her fingers clasped his hands. "And will you become my wife ?" "After this confession of my wickedness, do you still dare to trust me, still wish me to become your wife?" “I do.” "Then I am yours, 'till death do us part.' Thus she, who had heretofore conquered, was vanquished. DECORATION OF COTTAGE HOMES. By H. Cox. that, if we are to have any comfort in it, must not come under the category of "best parlors" or "drawing-rooms." It must be a room with space for work, music, books, and flowers. A "best parlor" recalls memories of cold, unaired rooms, cheerless, dull, and fireless in winter; close and hot in summer, with closed windows and drawn blinds, that the sun may not fade the carpet or the dust soil the curtains. Such a sanctum, generally considered too good for daily use, is shunned by all who love comfort. Children dare not carry their toys into it; no girl's fancy-work makes the table bright with many-colored crewels; flowers will not bloom in it; no open books tell of a few leisure moments spared from the day's toil, when the tired worker rests with a feeling of infinite relief, and culls a thought from a favorite author that will carry him cheerily through his remaining duties. HAVING treated in a former paper, entitled | cally. There will be but one sitting-room, and "Artistic Homes," of the embellishment of highclass houses, and considered generally the subject of decoration, we now propose to show how small houses and cottages may be improved and raised above the ordinary level of dull commonplace, and how art can beautify and refine even the smallest and plainest of tenements. A truer in sight, a clearer understanding, in all matters pertaining to art, is daily becoming more noticeable; individuals are beginning to think for themselves; decorators and upholsterers no longer have all their own way, but have to strive hard to meet the taste of the people. The rage for architecture and furniture in Queen Anne style, though overdone, and consequently wearisome, shows a turn in the right direction. Englishmen will have no more of the untrue stucco imitation of stone houses, no more shams, and truth and art are winners in the race for popular favor; so, with interior decoration, graining and marbling are giving place to plain paint or polished wood, that make no pretense to be other than what they are in reality. The one objection to decorating is the expense that is of necessity incurred by employing skilled workmen, and the only alternative is, that the owner must put his shoulder to the wheel and ornament his own cottage, or at least be competent to superintend the workmen he employs. But it is by no means sufficient that he should think to himself that he knows what he likes, and will have his home decorated entirely after his own taste; unless he has some knowledge of the principles that have been followed by our greatest artists-unless he comprehends the motives that have guided them, the rules that they have carried out-confusion and failure will be the certain result of his attempt. "Order is Heaven's first law, and the way to order is by rules that art hath found." With our exhibitions and museums, and the many practical works that have been written bearing on the subject, few who have the desire for knowledge can plead the excuse of ignorance. We will suppose our cottage to consist of six rooms, and then consider how we may decorate it to the best advantage inexpensively and yet artistiVol. XVII.-17. The first consideration will be the wall spaces. Paint, silk, tapestry, embossed leather, are all available, but all too elaborate for our purpose. Silk is too fragile; embossed leather and tapestry hold the dust; paint is expensive if workmen's time is to be paid for; so our choice must needs fall on paper-hangings. But so many good patterns may now be obtained that we need not despair of making our rooms presentable, even with the most economical of wall coverings. Artists have given their attention and brought their knowledge and skill to bear on the subject, the result being exquisitely designed patterns, to which the most fastidious can take no exception; the difficulty that lies in our way is the selection of the most suitable. Wall-surface decoration must never be of such a decided character as to draw attention from those objects which it is intended to enhance, and to which it should act simply as a background; if we have many pictures to adorn our walls, we must select a paper that will not detract from their beauty, but rather bring out their hues to the best advantage; sinall patterns carried out in subdued, retiring tones are obviously most desirable. On the other hand, should we have no pictures to rely on for ornamentation, the design of the paper may be somewhat more strongly marked. The prevailing tint, whether quiet negative hues are employed, or positive colors so balanced as to give a "neutralized bloom," must also be in accordance with the general scheme of coloring. No paper that gives representations of birds or animals will be found satisfactory, though they are constantly to be seen, especially in dado hangings; unsuitable at any time when treated in a naturalistic manner, they become most objectionable when they are repeated at stated intervals a few inches apart, as in a dado we have lately seen, where parrots perched on twigs inclosed in small square panels, the intervening panels being filled with branches of trees. A paper may be safely rejected as inartistic if the design is shaded, or if an attempt is made to suggest that the ornament is raised from the surface on which it is drawn. Two or three quotations from Mr. Colling's "Suggestions in Design," may enable us more fully to understand the nature of true ornament, and thereby more easily to choose a wall-paper that will prove a constant source of pleasure to all who look upon it. "All ornament should be founded on a geometrical basis." "Natural growth should be the law in ornament, and branches or scrolls made always to flow in their growing direction. Never make foliage grow two ways." "Flat surfaces should have a sufficient amount of flatness in their ornamentation as not to destroy their quality of flatness." From the design we may glance briefly at the coloring. If we require a paper to harmonize easily with furniture coverings, etc., it will be best to find one that is composed entirely of various shades of one color, or one containing but two tints of differing colors; there will then be but little fear that it will clash with its surroundings. If the pattern is darker than the ground, it will need outlining with a still darker shade. If much lighter, no outline is requisite; but if the pattern is only a shade or two lighter than the ground, it will need an outline of a still paler tint of its own color. A decorator who has had but little experience in the art is undoubtedly wise in choosing, both for the sake of economy and for the small amount of trouble he will have in making his colors agree, some such simple combination as we have mentioned; but at the same time we acknowledge that he loses one of his greatest chances of showing his skill in bringing together a successful combination of hues. Positive pig over. ments, applied by one who possesses a knowledge of chromatics and experience in decorating, will produce a far richer, more gorgeous effect than the monotony produced by self tints; but he needs an artist's eye, and to work according to the rules of art, if he desires to achieve a master-piece of decoration; complexity and intricacy of design, colors that contrast and harmonize, even though on the verge of disagreement, will but urge him on to greater effort in overcoming the difficulties that lie in his way. Much gilding on paper is to be avoided for many reasons. It gives a vulgar appearance if too lavishly employed; it does not wear well unless of the best quality, and even that is soon affected by damp air or by damp walls; it considerably heightens the price of the paper when the metal is good; and for a room in a small cottage that is to act as a general sitting-room, it would be decidedly out of place. All papers containing gilding can, therefore, be at once passed For the use of those who intend to assist in their own home-decorations, we give the following directions for paper-hanging. The worker has but few preparations to make before commencing -a deal table placed in the centre of the room, a large pair of scissors for edging the paper, a pail containing paste, a duster or roller placed ready at hand, and he may at once begin operations. And, first, as to the paste. Good flour and boiling water are the only requisites for its manufacture; alum may be added in the proportion of two ounces of alum to four pounds of flour; it is not essential to paste-making, but Dr. Richardson recommends its use in his articles on "Health at Home." The most important point is to make sure that the water boils thoroughly. Take some flour, and see that it is free from all lumps; now add cold water sufficient to moisten it so that it runs thickly from the spoon. When the water is boiling hard and fast, pour it over the flour, never ceasing to stir until the paste turns; when it loses its white appearance, and partially clears, it is proof that sufficient water had been added. The paste is then to be brought to the right consistency by thinning it with cold water, when it will work easily with the brush. He will now edge the paper, cutting close to the pattern on one side, on the other leaving about the eighth of an inch beyond, which serves for the underlap. After measuring one length, the paper is laid on the table, the piece unrolled, and the pattern matched for the second length; it. when a number are thus ready, the first may be pasted. It is brought close to the edge of the table, so that no paste can reach the table itself, or it will soil the next breadth that is placed upon When the bottom of the length is pasted, it is folded over and the top is finished. Commence hanging from the side of a window or door, so that there may be no more joins than are absolutely necessary. Each length as it is hung requires to be rolled or smoothed close to the wall with a duster, that no air bubbles may reinain. A border or frieze will hide defects if there should be any, and add greatly to the appearance of the room. Whitewashed or colored walls will have to be sized and scraped. To return to the consideration of the sittingroom. We would suggest that the prevailing tint of the paper is citrine; it is a shade that harmonizes easily with many furniture coverings, is cool and pleasant to look upon, and does not assert itself too strongly. As the room will probably not be of large dimensions, we would not recommend a dado; but a border at the bottom and a frieze at the top of the wall will give a good effect, and break the monotony. The wood-work shall be olive-green of two shades, the styles and mouldings of the door dark, the panels light, the lower part of the wainscot dark, the upper part light. And here we would advise the workman's aid to be called in. Painting is not only arduous, but the smell of the oils is strong and often disagreeable. Then, too, so much preparation is indispensable, if it is to present a satisfactory appearance when completed. New wood requires priming, that it should not absorb the paint. The knots have to be "killed," any cracks filled up with putty, and inequalities rubbed down with glasspaper. Then the coats of paint have to be laid on and allowed their proper time to dry, so that, however assiduously the wood-work of a room is worked at, it is, at the best of times, both a long and trying performance. The ceiling is colored a pale blue-green. A painted ceiling, beautiful as it may be in itself, is unsuitable for a cottage home, even though the owner should be inclined to decorate it himself, for the good reason that when there is only one sitting-room it is constantly in use, and the ceiling needs renovating every year. We can imagine the despair of the artist at seeing his work becoming rapidly soiled day by day, knowing that cleanliness, and as a consequence health, requires a renewal, and yet dreading to efface with a clean coat of whitewash that which was a labor of love and took so long to execute. But although the ceiling is simply colored, there is no occasion that it should lack ornamentation. A stenciled pattern at the corners will amply repay the decorator for the time bestowed on it and the trouble incurred. It is easy work, and quickly done, so that there is not the same objection to it as to painted decorations. If the carpet is russet, a harmony will be established between the several portions of the room; it is a color that wears well, and being sombre in tone, gives the solidity that is desirable in a floor covering; the design must give the same impression of stability, and should be equally balanced over the entire surface, no shadows being introduced, or the flatness essential to a good carpet-pattern will be endangered. The furniture comes, perhaps, scarcely within the limits of this paper; but we cannot refrain from remarking that, whatever the style chosen, it should be good of its kind, strong and yet tasteful. A sitting-room that must meet the requirements of both dining and drawing-rooms must perforce contain some diversity of form and material; lounging-chairs cannot be excluded, while dining-chairs are indispensable; but though we must not forget that unity is one of the first laws of decoration, yet "Unity without variety produces uniformity and insipidity, variety without unity results in confusion or absence of design." A design for book shelves we saw lately pleased us much, and might be employed with success in many small rooms; taking up but little space, it was both novel and useful. It would, however, be only practicable where the doorway is constructed near the centre of the wall, as the shelves are ranged on either side of it. First, there is a small cupboard at the bottom, with ornamental doors; above this the shelves, filled with books, reach as high as the door, which is surmounted by an architrave, holding an Oriental jar, while on a narrow shelf above a china plaque rests against the wall; the shelves and cupboards are repeated on the other side of the doorway, and the whole presents a unique, picturesque effect. It might be carried out in ebonized deal, light oak, polished pine, or painted in conformity with the woodwork of the room, the panels of the cupboarddoors being decorated after the same fashion as the door and shutter panels. For the entrance hall we can choose between paint, tempera color, and varnished paper. The paint, if varnished, will wash and wear well, but the expense incurred will deter many from employing this mode of hall decoration. Flatted paint also admits of washing, if carefully performed, but no soap or soda may be used in the cleansing process. To the use of tempera color there can be no objection on the score of extravagance, but then it will require constant renewal. One thing to be said One thing to be said greatly in its favor is, that the decorator has it in his power to color his walls any hue or shade that he prefers. Now this is not always the case with wall-papers. A book of patterns-it may be even two or three books-are sent on approval, and yet no color that exactly suits is found among them. This will be found to be commonly the case when a dado and filling are both required. Unless they are made specially to suit each other, it is very difficult to find two papers that will blend harmoniously together; and of those that are thus made to use in combination, sometimes the pattern is not pleasing-it is too large, too small, or too formal; so that to obtain a thoroughly satisfactory wall-paper is not an easy matter. Tempera or distemper color obviates all trouble of this kind. The decorator can mix his colors until he gets the exact shade to suit his taste, and he also can change the appearance of his house as often as he chooses, at a small outlay, by simply recoloring his walls. "Distemper is a term applied at the present time to all colors diluted with water, and rendered firm and adhesive by thin glue or parchment size. The ordinary process of whitewashing and other coloring with size is distemper work." It is decidedly a more economical plan, if a paper is used, to varnish it; marks are not so easily made on it, it cannot be readily torn off, and may be washed down without injury. After the paper is hung, it requires sizing twice before the varnish is applied, the first coat being allowed to dry before the second is laid on. Size is composed of glue dissolved in water; the allowance is four ounces of the best glue to a quart of water. The glue is soaked in cold water for some hours. Then hot water is added until it is dissolved, or it can be more quickly made if melted over the fire, more water being mixed with it afterward to bring it to the right strength. In repairing halls and staircases the old varnished paper is often left on, in which case it must be sized. This is allowed to dry, and it is then rubbed down before the fresh paper is hung. If there are any indentations or crevices in the wall, they are filled up with plaster of Paris, or pasted over with strong brown paper. In selecting a paper it must not be forgotten that the color will appear two or three shades darker after varnishing, or some disappointment may be experienced when the walls are completed. Seen through the coating of varnish that is slightly yellowish, the color is often materially altered, as well as darkened; if there is any doubt as to its suitability, it is as well to try a piece before deciding finally. We will settle, then, on a distemper wall for our cottage, as being the cheapest and the easiest to renew. It shall have a claret-colored dado, the upper part being a warm buff-tint. Raise the dado about three feet or so, according to the height of the ceiling, and just below the top of it stencil a rich set pattern in the same color, but of a darker shade. Then above the dado on the buff wall stencil another pattern lighter in construction, with fine lines and more delicate tracery, in the light-claret color. Now stencil a frieze, about half a foot in depth, on the buff wall close under the cornice. The ground of the frieze is to be a lighter tone of the buff, the pattern a bold tracery in claret. Tint the cornice and ceiling a warm cream, and the walls and ceiling are complete. If the hall is too low to admit of a frieze being introduced, the cornice may be colored and the frieze omitted. The lowest row that meets the wall can be of terra cotta color. Then a space of cream, the remaining ornament being worked out in soft blue-greens and subtle yellow tints. It need not take long to decorate the walls after this manner, even though the two borders and frieze are all desired. Stenciling is easy and quick work, that makes a show with but little cost. The pattern is cut in metal plates; zinc, tin, copper, brass, are all used. It may be even cut out in card-board, but this does not last long, and new cards are often required; while if the metal plate is procured one is sufficient for each pattern. The plate is held in position on the wall with the left hand; in the right a stencil-brush (flat at the end) is held filled with color; the plate is then brushed over with a circular movement, which leaves the color on the wall through the perforations that form the pattern. But as, for example, a circular line cannot be entirely cut round, or the centre would fall out, all such interstices so left must be filled in after |