. More famous homes of Great Britain and their stories . es of silvered glass werenot procurable, small panes were eked out with wide borderingsof raised figures of persons, animals, and foliage worked in over aspirited sketch of the idea, in Indian ink. Like the bed-hangings,these mirrors were embellished by the ladies of the house ; and,feminine amusements not being too numerous, excessive painswere lavished upon their adornment. And then, after a time,the old work began to decay ; and a generation arose whichhad neither the skill nor the inclination to restore it. Yousee this, too. For one
. More famous homes of Great Britain and their stories . es of silvered glass werenot procurable, small panes were eked out with wide borderingsof raised figures of persons, animals, and foliage worked in over aspirited sketch of the idea, in Indian ink. Like the bed-hangings,these mirrors were embellished by the ladies of the house ; and,feminine amusements not being too numerous, excessive painswere lavished upon their adornment. And then, after a time,the old work began to decay ; and a generation arose whichhad neither the skill nor the inclination to restore it. Yousee this, too. For one of these mirrors was once all coveredwith animals done in flat bead-work ; but the lower half ofthe pattern came to pieces ; and then some gentle but mis-guided dame, casting about for employment, covered thedilapidated part with velvet; and instead of herself workingsome objects to relieve it, laid sacrilegious hands upon thealtar-cloth (a royal antiquary suggests bier-cloth) and calmlytransferred two figures of saints from it to the mirror—forming,. 83 84 Cotebele along with the Durnford arms, the most incongruous mixture it ispossible to conceive. Retracing our steps, we proceed round a landing off thestairs, into the White room : a name not due to any Lady inWhite, but to the prevailing hue of the hangings. However, itso chances that this is the only room with any suspicion of aghost. It is not at all surprising that there should be a ghost here-in fact, it rather points to the blameless lives of the andtheir successors that there is not a series of spectres distributedabout this rambling, ghostly old place ; but it is a little strange tohear of one being located in a china closet. But then, thoughthat is now but an appendage, shut off by tapestry, it is reallythe end room of the original wing, which was subsequentlyabsorbed into the great tower. And when one sees that, in thethickness of the wall, there are spiral stone steps leading downinto a cellar adjoinin
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectcountry, bookyear1902
