it from the rest of the hall with a high standing screen. If you have a
house of the other extreme type, a city house with little hall bedrooms,
use one of these little rooms for a writing-room. You will require a
desk well stocked with stationery, and all the things the writer will
need; a shelf of address books and reference books--with a dictionary,
of course; many pens and pencils and fresh blotters, and so forth. Of
course, you may have ever so many more things, but it isn't necessary.
Better a quiet corner with one chair and a desk, than the elaborate
library with its superb fittings where people come and go.

Given the proper desk, the furnishing of it is most important. The
blotting-pad should be heavy enough to keep its place, and the
blotting-paper should be constantly renewed. I know of nothing more
offensive than dusty, ink-splotched blotting-paper. There are very good
sets to be had, now, made of brass, bronze, carved wood, porcelain,
silver or crystal, and there are leather boxes for holding stationery
and leather portfolios to be had in all colors. I always add to these
furnishings a good pair of scissors, stationery marked with the house
address or the monogram of the person to whom the desk especially
belongs, an almanac, and a _pincushion!_ My pincushions are as much a
part of the equipment of a desk as the writing things, and they aren't
frilly, ugly things. They are covered with brocade or damask or some
stuff used elsewhere in the room and I assure you they are most useful.
I find that pins are almost as necessary as pens in my correspondence;
they are much more expedient than pigeon-holes.

In country houses I think it shows forethought and adds greatly to the
comfort of the guests to have a small framed card showing the arrival
and departure of trains and of mails, especially if the house is a great
distance from the railway-station. This saves much inquiry and time. In
the paper rack there should be not only stamped paper bearing the
address of the house, telephone number, and so forth, but also telegraph
blanks, post cards, stamps, and so forth. Very often people who have
beautiful places have post cards made showing various views of the
house and garden.

Test the efficiency of your writing-tables occasionally by using them
yourself. This is the only way to be sure of the success of anything in
your house--try it yourself.

STOOLS AND BENCHES.

I often wonder, when I grope my way throug