Once he had been up to his knees in a tempting
blancmanger-like lake of lime, many times had he hammered or cut his
fingers, and once his legs had gone through the new drawing-room
ceiling, where he hung by the petticoats screaming till rescued by
his brother. The room was under these auspices finished, and was a
very successful affair--the conservatory, in which the hall
terminated, and into which a side door of the drawing-room opened,
gave a bright fragrant, flowery air to the whole house; and the low
fireplace and comfortable fan-shaped fender made the room very
cheerful. Fresh delicately-tinted furniture, chosen con amore by the
London aunts, had made the apartment very unlike old Willow-Lawn, and
Albinia had so much enjoyed setting it off to the best advantage,
that she sent word to Winifred that she was really becoming a
furniture fancier.
It was a very pretty paper, and some choice prints hung on it, but
Albinia and Sophy had laid violent hands on all the best-looking
books, and kept them for the equipment of one of the walls. The rest
were disposed, for Mr. Kendal's delectation, in the old drawing-room,
henceforth to be named the library. Lucy thought it sounded better,
and he was quite as willing as Albinia was that the name of study
should be extinct. Meantime Mr. Downton had verified the boys'
prediction by writing to announce that he was about to marry and give
up pupils.
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