d that butter-knife and
bread-knife are in their places. And now she should give the signal for
breakfast, holding herself ready to fill the urn with hot water, or hand
the kettle, and take in the rolls, toast, and other eatables, with which
the cook supplies her, when the breakfast-room bell rings; bearing in
mind that she is never to enter the parlour with dirty hands or with a
dirty apron, and that everything is to be handed on a tray; that she is
to hand everything she may be required to supply, on the left hand of
the person she is serving, and that all is done quietly and without
bustle or hurry. In some families, where there is a large number to
attend on, the cook waits at breakfast whilst the housemaid is busy
upstairs in the bedrooms, or sweeping, dusting, and putting the
drawing-room in order.

2304. Breakfast served, the housemaid proceeds to the bed-chambers,
throws up the sashes, if not already done, pulls up the blinds, throwing
back curtains at the same time, and opens the beds, by removing the
clothes, placing them over a horse, or, failing that, over the backs of
chairs. She now proceeds to empty the slops. In doing this, everything
is emptied into the slop-pail, leaving a little scalding-hot water for a
minute in such vessels as require it; adding a drop of turpentine to the
water, when that is not sufficient to cleanse them. The basin is
emptied, well rinsed with clean water, and carefully wiped; the ewers
emptied and washed; finally, the water-jugs themselves emptied out and
rinsed, and wiped dry. As soon as this is done, she should remove and
empty the pails, taking care that they also are well washed, scalded,
and wiped as soon as they are empty.

2305. Next follows bedmaking, at which the cook or kitchen-maid, where
one is kept, usually assists; but, before beginning, velvet chairs, or
other things injured by dust, should be removed to another room. In
bedmaking, the fancy of its occupant should be consulted; some like beds
sloping from the top towards the feet, swelling slightly in the middle;
others, perfectly flat: a good housemaid will accommodate each bed to
the taste of the sleeper, taking care to shake, beat, and turn it well
in the process. Some persons prefer sleeping on the mattress; in which
case a feather bed is usually beneath, resting on a second mattress, and
a straw paillasse at the bottom. In this case, the mattresses should
change places daily; the feather bed placed on the mat