excesses he should have been carried, he certainly would have decided to

start anew.

One gentleman recently congratulated himself that he had purchased a fine dwelling at a very low cost, which only required a small amount expended upon it to make it exactly what he wanted. With the addition of a third story or a mansard, it would be sufficiently large, and then all it needed was simply the elevation of the first and second story ceilings. He was much surprised when I expressed the opinion that the house was not worth the alterations, though he admitted that an entirely new roof would be required, and the elevation of the ceilings would neces

sitate the destruction of all the present plastering. The doors and windows, together with their triminings, would have to be renewed, in order to suit the change, so that virtually it would be necessary to rebuild the entire house, and, in reality, all that would be saved was the cellar. Even then it would not be what he wanted, though costing as much as a new building, which might be arranged exactly to suit his wishes. Would it not be better, therefore, to let the old house to a farmer, and commence a new one on, perhaps, a better site? To this he replied that the present location was not only the most desirable, but the roads were already established, and the trees and shrubbery grown. Then I suggested that he might remove the old building, and put up a new one on the present

site. My advice was accepted, and the result was that he had, at the cost of no greater sum than would have been necessary to alter the old building, a new one arranged entirely to his satisfaction. He, moreover, saved the expense of tearing down the original structure, and now had two houses, for the same price for which otherwise he would have had but one.

DESIGN No. 16.

First-floor Plan.

1. Hall; 2. Parlor, 15×22; 3. Library, 15×20; 4. Bedroom, 15×17; 5. Dressing-room; 6. Dining-room, 14×21; 7. Butler's pantry; 8. Kitchen; 9. Back entry; 10. Milk-room; 11. Back hall; 12. Staircase; 13. Verauda.—Estimated cost, $17,000.

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This building has been recently erected at Pawling, Duchess County, New York, for the Hon. J. B. Dutcher, an old resident of that place. The parlor and library are approached from the main hall, and thrown together by double doors, making an entire range of fifty feet along the front of the house, which is skirted by a piazza some ten feet wide. On entering the house, the first thing that strikes a visitor is the large stained-glass window lighting the hall. The bedroom, though not large in itself, has a spacious dressing-room, with liberal closets attached. This may be also reached from the back hall, which has its entrance from the basement, as shown in the perspective elevation, which gives the rear view of the house. The entire first floor is fitted up with hard wood, the livingrooms containing some fine specimens of Jacobean workmanship, executed by Messrs. Pottier & Stymus of this city. The plumbing and ventilation are of the most approved character, and the heating apparatus highly satisfactory, having been put in by Messrs. Baker & Smith, while the gas is manufactured on the place by one of the Springfield Company's machines. The fixtures, which are good specimens of the reform school, are from the house of Archer & Pancoast, of New York.

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First-floor Plan of Design No. 16.

PRO

CHAPTER XVII.

LIBRARY.

Nooks and Cubby-holes.

ROBABLY the library, more than any other room in a house, reflects the master mind of the household. One person regards this apartment as simply a place in which to read newspapers, write letters, and

keep slippers and dressing-gown. Another's idea is that it is like a museum for bric-a-brac, with showy bookcases and ample shelving for books, purchased by the yard, selected according to their backs. The real library is, of course, that in which the style and selection of reading matter

convey some idea of certain specialties to which the dilettante or scientific possessor is prone. No doubt the most attractive collections are those in which are represented all classes of literature interesting to the general reader. In this case the alcove .arrangement, where volumes upon kindred subjects are kept by themselves, is undoubtedly the best.

This, however, is intended only for large collections, and these strictly the possessions of literary men. Home libraries, acting as a sort of rendezvous for social intercourse, may be far more cosy and inviting if arranged like a lady's boudoir. In some instances in England — as, for example, in the residence of Sir Walter Scott at Abbotsford-there are two rooms-one a large apartment simply for the deposit of books, the other a small study adjoining, arranged more in sympathy with the social disposition of the owner.

One of the first considerations in regard to the library is that of light. Light from the left is always regarded as more desirable for writing, and the advantage of having it fall upon the reader's book while he sits facing the fire has already been pointed out. Bay-windows in this, as well as in all other apartments, are desirable. These, like the fireplace, need not be placed directly in the centre of the room. Corner bay-windows, situated diagonally, are often effective in preventing stiff regularity, and giving grace to the room, while they form cosy retreats, and are "traps to catch a sunbeam."

Ventilation is also an essential consideration in a study or readingroom, these being the natural lounging-places for gentlemen who smoke, and because, in a close room, the gluing and pasting of the books are apt to become musty, unless proper precautions are taken to secure a good circulation of air.

In our observations on bookcases we shall describe somewhat at length the manner of their construction, size, etc. We would here say that, in order to prevent dampness, it is always well to have a bookcase raised a few inches above the floor, and made with solid backs, removed sufficiently from the wall to allow a free circulation of air.

As it is often the case that the library is appropriated by the master of the house, it is frequently brought into requisition as a business-room. It would, therefore, be well to have it connected with the dining-room, which could serve as a waiting-room for persons whose visits are of a business character.

When a house is sufficiently large, it is well to have a regular businessroom, or office, where employees may be paid and accounts settled. Here, if the owner be of an agricultural turn of mind, might be placed a re

pository for pears and other fruits, which need to be carefully packed away in drawers, to ripen. This also seems the place for guns and fishing-tackle. Stuffed birds, shells, and curiosities may be added, as decorations to the apartment.

The reader might imagine, from the foregoing remarks, that a library is desirable only in rich and costly mansions; that such a luxury might be regarded as a superfluity in a cottage. It is not too much to say that every man owes it to himself, no less than to his family, to provide in his home a place where he may gather his dear ones for counsel and instruction. We would enlarge on this subject, which we deem so important, but prefer rather to quote the language of a distinguished writer of the day:

"We form judgments of men from little things about their house, of which the owner, perhaps, never thinks. In earlier years, when travelling in the West, where taverns are rather scarce and, in some places, unknown, and every settler's house was a house of 'entertainment,' it was a matter of some importance and some experience to select wisely where you would put up; and we always looked for flowers. If there were no trees for shade, no patch for flowers, we were suspicious of the place. But no matter how rude the cabin or rough the surroundings, if we saw that the window held a little trough of flowers, and that some vines twined about strings let down from the eaves, we were confident that there was some good taste and carefulness in the log-cabin. In a new country, where people have to tug for a living, no one will take the trouble to rear flowers unless the love for them is pretty strong; and that this taste blossoms out of plain and uncultivated people is itself like a clump of harebells growing out of the seams of a rock. We were seldom misled. A patch of flowers came to signify kind people, clean beds, and good bread.

"But other signs are more significant in other states of society. Flowers about a rich man's house may signify only that he has a good gardener, or that he has refined neighbors, and does what he sees them do.

"But men are not accustomed to buy books unless they want them. If, on visiting the dwelling of a man of slender means, I find the reason why he has cheap carpets and very plain furniture to be that he may purchase books, he rises at once in my esteem. Books are not made for furniture, but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house. The plainest row of books that cloth or paper ever covered is more significant of refinement than the most elaborately carved étagère or sideboard. "Give me a house furnished with books rather than furniture; both,