all
measurements, whether of feet, bars, or squaring-out lines, or levels
for canopies, bases, or any other divisions of the light, must be made
upwards FROM THIS TRUE LEVEL LINE."

These rules, I suppose, have saved me on an average an hour a day since
they were drawn up; and, mark you, an hour of _waste_ and an hour of
_worry_ a day--which is as good as saving a day's work at the least.

An artist must dream; you will not charge me with undervaluing that; but
a decorator must also wake, and have his wits about him! Start,
therefore, in all the outward ordering of your career with the three
plain rules:--

(1) To have everything orderly;

(2) To have everything accurate;

(3) To bring everything and every question to a point, _at the time_,
and clinch it.

[6] "Ariadne Florentina," p. 31.

[7] "A Saturday's Dinner."

[8] "Aratra Pentelici," p. 253.

CHAPTER XX

A STRING OF BEADS

Is there anything more to say?

A whole world-full, of course; for every single thing is a part of all
things. But I have said most of my say; and I could now wish that you
were here that you might ask me aught else you want.

A few threads remain that might be gathered up--parting words, hints
that cannot be classified. I must string them together like a row of
beads; big and little mixed; we will try to get the big ones more or
less in the middle if we can.

Grow everything from seed.

All seeds that are living (and therefore worth growing) have the power
in them to grow.

But so many people miss the fact that, on the other hand, _nothing else_
will grow; and that it is useless in art to transplant full-grown trees.

This is the key to great and little miseries, great and little mistakes.

Were you sorry to be on the lowest step of the ladder? Be glad; for all
your hopes of climbing are in that.

And this applies in all things, from conditions of success and methods
of "getting work" up to the highest questions of art and the "steps to
Parnassus," by which are reached the very loftiest of ideals.

I must not linger over the former of these two things or do more than
sum it up in the advice, to take anything you can get, and to be glad,
not sorry, if it is small and comes to you but slowly. Simple things,
and little things, and many things, are more needed in the arts today
than complex things and great and isolated achievements. If you have
nothing to do for others, do some little thing for yourself: it is