Finally, though, all this preliminary skirmishing came to an end and we actually started work on our house. I should say, we started work on what formerly4 we had thought was going to be our house. It turned out we were wrong. As it stands to-day, two years after the beginning, in a state approaching completion, it is a very satisfactory sort of house we think, artistically5 as well as from the standpoint of being practical and comfortable; but it is no longer entirely6 our house. The architect is responsible for the general scheme of things, for the layout and the assembling of the wood and the brick and the cement and the stonework and all that sort of thing, and to him largely will attach the credit if the effect within and without should prove pleasing to the eye. Likewise, here and there are to be found the traces of ideas which we ourselves had, but I must confess the structure is also a symposium7 of the modified ideas of our friends and well-wishers mated to our ideas.
To me human nature presents a subject for constant study. For a thing so widely distributed as it is, I regard it as one of the most interesting things there are anywhere. It seems to me one of the chief peculiarities8 of human nature is that it divides all civilized10 mankind into two special groups—those who think they could run any newspaper better than the man who is trying to run it, and those who think they could run any hotel better than the man who is hanging on as manager or proprietor11 of it. There are subdivisional classifications of course—for example, women who think they can tell any other woman how to bring up her children without spoiling them to death, and women who are absolutely sure no woman on earth can tell them anything about the right way to bring up their own children; which two groupings include practically all women. And I have yet to meet the man who did not believe that he was a good judge of either horses, diamonds, wines, women, salad dressings12, antique furniture, Oriental rugs or the value of real estate. And finally all of these, regardless of sex and regardless, too, of previous experience in the line, know better how a house intended for living purposes should be designed and arranged than the individuals who are paying the bills and who expect to tenant13 the house as a home when it is done. By the same token—or by the inverse14 ratio of the same token—the persons who are building the house invariably begin to have doubts and misgivings15 regarding the worth of their own pet notions in regard to the said house the moment some outsider offers a counter argument. I do not know why this last should be so, but it is. It merely is one of the inexplicable16 phases of the common phenomenon called human nature.
In our own case the force of this fact applied17 with a pronounced emphasis. When the tentative draft of the house of our dreams was offered for our inspection18 it seemed to us a gem—perfect, precious and rare. Filled with pride as we were, we showed the drawings to every one who came to see us. Getting out the drawings when somebody called became a regular habit with us. Being ourselves so deeply interested in them, we couldn't understand why our friends shouldn't be interested too. And they were—I'll say that much for them; they were all interested. And why not? For one thing, it gave them a chance to show how right they were regarding the designing of a house; not our house particularly, but anything under a roof, ranging from St. Peter's at Rome to the fa鏰de of the government fish hatchery in Tupelo, Mississippi. For another thing, it gave them a chance to show us how completely wrong we were on this subject. Not a single soul among them but pounced19 at the opportunity. Until then I never realized how many born pouncers—not amateur pouncers but professional expert master pouncers—I numbered in my acquaintance. Right from the beginning the procedure followed a certain ritual. A caller or pouncer21 would drop in and have off his things and get comfortably settled. We would produce the sketches22, fondling them lovingly, and spread them out and invite the attention of our guest to probably the only perfect design of a house fashioned by the mind of man since the days of the mound23 builders on this hemisphere. In our language we may not have gone quite so far as to say all this, but our manner indicated that such was the case.
He—for convenience in the illustration I shall make him a man, though in the case of a woman the outcome remained the same—he would consider the matchless work of inventive art presented for his consideration and then he would say; "An awfully24 nice notion—splendid, perfectly26 splendid! And still, you know, if I were——"
And so on.
Or perhaps it would be: "Oh, I like the general idea immensely! But—you'll pardon my making a little suggestion, won't you?—but if I were tackling this proposition—" And so on.
It has been my observation that all complimentary27 remarks uttered by a member of the human race in connection with a house which somebody else contemplates28 building end in "but."
You just simply can't get away from it.
From the treasure-troves of my memory I continue to quote:
"But if I were tackling this proposition I would certainly not put the dining room here were you've got it. I'd switch it over there right next to the living room and give a vista29 through. See, like this!"
And out would come his lead pencil.
"But that would mean eliminating the main hall," one of us would venture.
"Of course it would," Brother Pounce20 would say. "Next to giving a vista through, cutting out the hall is the principal idea I had in mind. What do you want with a hall here? For that matter, what do you want with a hall any place that you can get along without it? Why, my dear people, don't you know that hallways are no earthly good except to catch dust and be drafty and make extra work for servants? And besides, in modern houses people are cutting the hallways down to a minimum—to an absolute minimum."
We gathered that in a modern house—and, of course, a modern house was what we devoutly30 craved32 to own—persons going from one part of it to another didn't pass through a hall any more; they passed through a minimum. The idea seemed rather revolutionary to persons reared—as we had been—in houses with halls in them. Still, this person spoke33 as one having authority and we would listen with due respect to his words as he went on:
"All right, then, we'll consider the hallway as chopped out. By chopping it out that gives us a chance to put the dining room here in this place and give a vista through into the living room. Here, I'll show you exactly what I mean—what did I do with my lead pencil? Because no matter what else you do or do not have, you must have a vista through."
Before he had finished with this alteration34 and taken up with the next one we were made to understand that a house without a vista through was substantially the same as no house at all. Ashamed that we had been guilty of so gross an oversight35, I would make a note, "Vista through," on a scratch pad which I kept for that very purpose. Under the spell of his eloquence36 and compelling personality, I had already decided37 that first we would build a vista through, and then after that if any money was left we would sort of flank the vista through with bedrooms and a kitchen and other things of a comparatively incidental nature.
Having scored this important point, the king of the pouncers—now warming to his work and with his eyes feverishly39 lit by the enthusiasm of the zealot—would proceed to claw the quivering giblets out of another section of our plan. Hark to him: "And say, see here now, how about your sun parlor40? I can see two—no, three places suitable for tacking41 on a sun parlor merely by moving some walls round and putting the main entrance at the east front instead of the south front—funny the architect didn't think of that! He should have thought of that the very first thing if he calls himself a regular architect—and I suppose he does. What's the idea, leaving off the sun parlor?"
Then weakly, with an inner sinking of the heart, we would confess that we had not calculated on including any sun parlors42 in the general scope and he for his part would proceed to show us how deadly an omission43, how grievous an offense44 this would be.
It is a curious psychological paradox45 that we dreaded46 these suggestions and yet welcomed them, too. That is to say, we would begin by dreading47 them—resenting them would perhaps be a better term—and invariably would wind up by welcoming them. Nevertheless, there were times when I gave my celebrated48 imitation of the turning worm. Jarred off my mental balance by a proposed change which seemed entirely contrary to the trend of the style of house we had in mind for our house, I would offer at the outset a faint counter argument in defense49, especially if a notion which was about to be offered as a sacrifice on the altar of friendly counsel had been a favorite little idea of my own—one that I had found in my own head, as the saying went in the Army. Though knowing in advance that I was fighting a losing fight, I would raise a meek50 small voice in protest. Never once did my protesting avail. There was one stock answer which my fellow controversialist always had handy—ready to belt me with.
"One moment!" he would say, smiling the superior half-pitying smile which was really responsible for Cain's killing51 Abel that time.
Abel smiled just exactly in that way and so Cain killed him, and if you're asking me, he got exactly what was coming to him. "One moment!" he would say. "You've never built a house before, have you?"
"No," I would confess, "but—but—"
"Then, pardon me, but I have! What I am trying to do is to keep you from making the mistakes I made. Almost anybody will make mistakes building his first house. I only wish I'd had somebody round to advise me as I'm advising you before I O. K.'d the plans and signed the contract. As it was, it cost me four thousand dollars to pull out two walls so that we could have a sun parlor. If you go ahead and build your house without having a sun parlor you'll never regret it but once—and that'll be all the time you live in it. Look here now, while I show you how easily you can do it." And so on and so forth52 until we would capitulate and I'd write "Memo—sun parlor, sure," on my little pad.
Take for example the matter of sleeping porches.
Personally I have never been drawn53 greatly to the idea of sleeping outdoors. I used to think an outdoor bedroom must be almost as inconvenient54 as an outdoor bathroom, and with me bathing has always been a solitary55 pleasure. I have felt that I would not be at my best while bathing before an audience. That may denote selfishness on my part, but such is my nature and I cannot change it. I suppose this prejudice against bathing before a crowd is constitutional with me—hereditary56, as it were. All my folks were awfully peculiar9 that way.
When they felt that they needed bathing they also felt that they needed privacy. I sometimes think that my family must have been descended57 from Susanna. She was a Biblical lady and so did not have any last name, but you probably recall her from the circumstance of her having been surprised while bathing by two snoopy elders. Whenever one of the Old Masters ran out of other subjects to paint, he would paint a picture of Susanna and the elders. In no two of their pictures did she look alike, but in all of them that I've ever seen she looked embarrassed. Yes, I dare say Susanna was our direct ancestress. Like practically all Southern families, ours is a very old family and I've always been led to believe that we go back a long way. True, I've never heard the Old Testament58 mentioned in this connection, but in view of the fact of our family being such an old or Southern family I reckon it is but fair to presume that we go back fully25 that far if not farther.
Indeed I have been told that in my infancy59 a friend of the family, a man who had delved60 rather into archeology, on calling one day remarked that I had a head shaped exactly like a cuneiform Chaldean brick. It was years later, however, before my parents learned what a cuneiform Chaldean brick looked like and by that time the person who had paid me the compliment was dead and it was too late to take offense at him. And anyhow, in the meantime the contour of my skull61 had so altered that it was now possible for me to wear a regular child's hat bought out of a store. I point out the circumstance merely as possible collateral62 evidence showing semiprehistoric hereditary influences to corroborate63 the more or less direct evidence that as a family we antedate64 nearly all—if not all—of these Northern families by going back into the very dawn of civilization. I have a great aunt who rather specializes in genealogies65 and especially our own genealogy66 and the next time I see her I mean to ask her to consult the authorities and find out whether there is a strain of the Susanna blood in our stock. If she confirms my present belief that there is I shall be very glad to let everybody know about it in an appendix to the next edition of this work.
As with taking a bath outdoors, so with sleeping outdoors; this always was my profound conviction. I had a number of arguments, all good arguments I thought, to offer in support of my position. To begin with, I am what might be called a sincere sleeper67, a whole-souled sleeper. I have been told that when I am sleeping and the windows are open everybody in the vicinity knows I am actually sleeping and not lying there tossing about restlessly upon my bed. I would not go so far as to say that I snore, but like most deep thinkers I breathe heavily when asleep. On board a sleeping car I have been known to breathe even more heavily than the locomotive did. I know of this only by hearsay68, but when twenty or thirty passengers, all strangers to you, unite in a common statement to the same effect you are bound to admit, if you have any sense of fairness in your make-up, that there must be an element of truth in what they allege69.
Very well, then, let us concede that I sleep with the muffler cut out open. In view of this fact I have felt that I would not care to sleep in the open where my style of sleeping might invite adverse70 comment. In such a matter I try to have a proper consideration for the feelings of others. Indeed I carried it to such a point that when we lived in the closely congested city, with neighboring flat dwellers71 just across a narrow courtyard, I placed the head of my bed in such a position that I might do the bulk of my breathing up the chimney.
Besides—so I was wont72 to argue—what in thunder was the good of having a comfortable cozy73 bedroom with steam heat and everything in it, and a night lamp for reading if one felt like reading, and a short cut down to the pantry if one felt hungry in the small hours, and then on a cold night deliberately74 to crawl out on a wind-swept porch hung against the outer wall of the house and sleep there? I once knew one of these sleeping-porch fiends who was given to boasting that in wintertime he often woke to find the snow had drifted in on the top of him while he slept. He professed75 to like the sensation; he bragged76 about it. From his remarks you gleaned78 that his idea of a really attractive boudoir was the polar bear's section up at the Bronx Zoo. I was sorry his name had not been Moe instead of Joe—which was what it was—because if it had only been the former I had thought up a clever play on words. I was going to catch him in company and trap him into boasting about loving to sleep in a snowdrift and then I was going to call him Eskimo, which should have been good for a laugh every time it was spontaneously sprung on a fresh audience.
In short, taking one thing with another, I have never favored sleeping porches. But after listening to friends who either had them or who were so sorry they didn't have them that they were determined79 we should have a full set of them on our house, we concurred80 in the consensus81 of opinion and decided to cast aside old prejudices and to have them at all hazards. I believe in the rule of the majority—of course with a few private reservations from time to time, as for instance, when the majority gets carried away by this bone-dry notion.
I recall in particular one friend who was especially emphatic82 and especially convincing in the details of offering suggestions and advice, and—where he deemed such painful measures necessary—in administering reproof84 for and correction of our faulty misconceptions of what a house should be. But then he was a Bostonian by birth and a Harvard graduate and had the manner—shall we call it the slightly superior manner?—which so often marks one who may boast these two qualifications. When you meet a well-bred native Bostonian who has been through Harvard it is as though you had met an egg which had enjoyed the unique distinction of having been laid twice and both times successfully. Our friend was distinctly that way. When he had rendered judgment85 there was no human appeal. It never occurred to us there could be any appeal.
So we incorporated sleeping porches and vistas86 through and sun parlors and a hundred other things—more or less—into the plan. Obeying the wills of stronger natures than ours, we figuratively knocked out walls and then on subsequent and what appeared to be superior counsel figuratively stuck them back in again. We lifted the roof for air and we lowered it for style. We tiled the floors and then untiled them and put down beautiful mental hardwood all over the place. We rejected paneled wainscotings in favor of rough-cast plaster and then abolished the plaster for something in the nature of a smooth finish for our walls. By direction we tacked87 on an ell here and an annex88 there. If we had kept all the additions which at one period or another we were quite sure we must keep in order to make our home complete we should have had a house entirely unsuitable for persons of our position in life to reside in, but could have made considerable sums of money by renting it out for national conventions.
On one point and only one point did we remain adamant89. Otherwise we were as clay in the hands of the potter, as flax to the loom90 of the weaver91; but there we were as adamant as an ant. We concurred in the firm and unswervable decision that—no matter what else we might have or might not have in our house—we would not have a den38 in it. By den I mean one of those cubby-holes opening off a living room or an entrance hall that is fitted up with woolly hangings and an Oriental smoking set where people are supposed to go and sit when they wish to be comfortable—only nobody in his right mind ever does. In my day I have done too much traveling on the Pullman of commerce to crave31 to have a section of one in my home. Call them dens92 if you will; I know a sleeping-car compartment93 when I see it, even though it be thinly disguised by a pair of trading-stamp scimitars crossed over the door and a running yard of mailorder steins up on a shelf. Several earnest advocates of the den theory tried their persuasive94 powers on us, but each time one or the other of us turned a deaf ear. When her deaf ear was tired from turning I would turn mine a while, and vice83 versa. There is no den in our home. Except over my dead body there never shall be one.
While on this general subject I may add that if anybody succeeds in sticking a Japanese catalpa on our lawn it will also be necessary to remove my lifeless but still mutely protesting remains95 before going ahead with the planting. I have accepted the new state income tax in the spirit in which it seems to be meant—namely, to confiscate96 any odd farthings that may still be knocking round the place after the Federal income tax has been paid, and a very sound notion, too. What is money for if it isn't for legislators to spend? Should the Prohibitionists put through the seizure-and-search law as a national measure I suppose in time I may get accustomed to waking up and finding a zealous97 gent with a badge and one of those long prehensile98 noses especially adapted for poking99 into other people's businesses, such as so many professional uplifters have, prowling through the place on the lookout100 for a small private bottle labeled "Spirits Aromatic101 Ammonia, Aged102 in the Wood." With the passage of time I may become really enthusiastic over the prospect103 of having my baggage ransacked104 for contraband105 essences every time I cross the state line. My taste in pyjamas106 has been favorably commented on and there is no reason why my fellow travelers should not enjoy a treat as the inspector107 dumps the contents of the top tray out on the car floor. The main thing is to get used to whatever it is that we have got to get used to.
But I have a profound conviction that in the matter of a Japanese catalpa on the lawn, just as in the matter of a den opening off the living room and taking up the space which otherwise would make a first-rate umbrella-and-galosh closet, I could never hope to get used. Nor do I yearn108 for a weeping mulberry tree about the premises109. I dislike its prevalent shape and the sobbing110 sound it makes when especially moved by the distress111 which chronically113 afflicts114 the sensitive thing. Nature endowed our abandoned farm with a plenteous selection of certain deciduous115 growths common to the temperate116 zone—elms and maples117 and black walnuts118 and hickories and beeches119 and birches and dogwoods and locusts120; also pines and hemlocks121 and cedars122 and spruces. What the good Lord designed as suitable arboreal123 adornment124 for the eastern seaboard is good enough for me. I have no desire to clutter125 up the small section of North America to which I hold the title deeds with trees which do not match in with the rest of North America. I should as soon think of putting a pagoda126 on top of Pike's Peak or connecting the Thousand Islands with a system of pergolas.
Having got that out of my system, let us get off the grounds and back to the house proper. As I was remarking just before being diverted from the main line, a den was about the only voluntary offering which we positively127 refused to take over. Every other notion of whatsoever128 nature was duly adopted and duly carried on to the architect He was a wonderful man. All architects, I am convinced, must be wonderful men, but him I would call one of the pick of his breed. How he managed to make practical use of some of the ideas we brought to him and fit them into the plan; how without hurting our feelings or the feelings of our friends he succeeded in curing us of sundry129 delusions130 we had acquired; how he succeeded in confining the ground plan to a scale which would not make the New York Public Library seem in comparison a puny131 and inconsequential edifice132; and how taking a number of the suggestions which came to him and rejecting the others he yet preserved the structural133 balance and the suitable proportions which he had had in his mind all along—these, to my way of thinking, approximate the Eighth Wonder. No, it is the first wonder; the remaining seven finish place, show and also ran.
After a season of debate, compromise and conciliation134, when the gray in his hair had perceptibly thickened and the lines in his face had deepened, though still he wore his chronic112 patient smile which makes strangers like him, the final specifications were blue-printed and the work was started. A lady to whom I have the honor of being very closely related by marriage removed the first shovel135 load of loam136 from the contemplated137 excavation138. She is not what you would call a fancy shoveler and the net result of her labor139, I should say offhand140, was about a heaping dessert-spoonful of topsoil. Had I guessed what that inconsequential pinch of earth would subsequently mean to us in joy I should have put it in a snuffbox and carried it about with me as the first tangible141 souvenir of a great accomplishment142 and a reminder143 to me never again to look slightingly upon small things. Bulk does not necessarily imply ultimate achievement. If Tom Thumb had been two feet taller and eighteen inches broader than he was I doubt whether he would amounted to much as a dwarf144.
Well, we reared the foundations and then one fine April morning our country abandoned its policy of watchful145 waiting for one of swatful hating. While we were at war it did not seem patriotic146 to try to go ahead. There was another reason—a variety of reasons rather. Very soon labor was not to be had, or materials either. Take the detail of concrete. Now that the last war is over and the next war not as yet started, I violate no confidence and betray no trust in stating that one of our chief military secrets had to do with this seemingly harmless product. We were shooting concrete at the Germans. In large quantities it was fatal; in small, mussy. And while the Germans were digging the gummy stuff out of their eyes and their hair our fellows would swarm147 over the top and capture them. And if you are not sure that I am telling the exact truth regarding this I only wish you had tried during active hostilities148—as I did—to buy a few jorums and noggins of concrete. Trying would have made a true believer of you, too. And the same might be said for steel girders and cow hair to put into plaster so it will stick, and ten-penny nails. We were firing all these things at the enemy. It must have disconcerted him terribly to be expecting high explosives and have a keg of ten-penny nails or a bale of cow hair burst in his midst. Without desire to detract from the glory of the other branches of the service, I am of the opinion that it was ten-penny nails that won the war. And in bringing about this splendid result I did my share by not buying any in large amount for going on eighteen months.
I couldn't.
War having come and concrete having gone, the contractor149 on our little job knocked off operations until such time as Germany had been cured of what principally ailed150 her. Even through the delay, though, we found pleasure in our project. We would perch151 perilously152 upon the top of the jagged walls and enjoy the view the while we imagined we sat in our finished dream house. We could see it, even if no one else could. In rainy weather we brought umbrellas along. The fact that a passerby153 beheld154 us thus on a showery afternoon I suppose was responsible for the report which spread through the vicinity that a couple of lunatics were roosting on some stone ruins halfway155 up the side of Mott's Mountain. We didn't mind though. The great creators of this world have ever been the victims of popular misunderstanding. Sir Isaak Walton, sitting under an apple tree and through the falling of an apple discovering the circulation of the blood, is to us a splendid figure of genius; but I have no doubt the neighbors said at the time that he would have been much better employed helping156 Mrs. W. with the housework. And probably there was a lot of loose and scornful talk when Benjamin Franklin went out in a thunderstorm with a kite and a brass157 key and fussed round among the darting158 lightning bolts until he was as wet as a rag and then came home and tried to dry his sopping159 feet before one of those old-fashioned open fireplaces so common in that period. But what was the result?
The Franklin heater—that's what. With such historic examples behind us, what cared we though the tongue of slander160 wagged while we inhabited our site with the leaky heavens for a roof to our parlor and the far horizons for its wall. Not to every one is vouchsafed161 the double boon162 of spending long happy days in one's home and at the same time keeping out in the open air.
On the day the United Press scooped163 the opposition164 by announcing the cessation of hostilities some days before the hostilities really cessated, thereby165 scoring one of the greatest journalistic beats since the Millerites prognosticated the end of the world, giving day, date and hour somewhat prematurely166 in advance of that interesting event, which as a matter of fact has not taken place yet—on that memorable167 day the country at large celebrated the advent168 of peace. We also celebrated the peace, but on a personal account we celebrated something else besides. We celebrated the prospect of an early resumption of work in the construction of our house.
During the months that followed I learned a lot about the intricacies and the mysteries of house building. Beforehand, in my ignorance I figured that the preliminary plans might be stretched out or contracted in to suit the shifting mood of the designer and the sudden whim169 of his client, but that once the walls went up and the beams went across and the rafters came down both parties were thereafter bound by set metes170 and bounds. Not at all. I discovered that there is nothing more plastic than brickwork, nothing more elastic171 than a girder. A carpenter spends days of his time and dollars of your money fitting and joining a certain section of framework; that is to say, he engages in such craftsmanship172 when not sharpening his saw. It has been my observation that the average conscientious173 carpenter allows forty per cent of his eight-hour day to saw sharpening. It must be a joy to him to be able to give so much time daily to putting nice keen teeth in a saw, knowing that somebody else is paying him for it at the rate of ninety cents an hour. Watching him at work in intervals174 between saw filing, you get from him the impression that unless this particular angle of the wooden skeleton is articulated just so the whole structure will come tumbling down some day when least expected. At length he gets the job done to his satisfaction and goes elsewhere.
Along comes a steamfitter and he, whistling merrily the while, takes a chisel175 or an adze or an ax and just bodaciously haggles176 a large ragged77 orifice in the carpenter's masterpiece. Through the hole he runs a Queen Rosamond's maze177 of iron pipes. He then departs and the carpenter is called back to the scene of the mutilation. After sharpening his saw some more in a restrained and contemplative manner, he patches up the wound as best he can. Enter, then, the boss plumber178 accompanied by a helper. The boss plumber finds a comfortable two-by-four to sit on and does sit thereon and lights up his pipe and while he smokes and directs operations the assistant or understudy, with edged tools provided for that purpose, tears away some of the cadaver's most important ribs180 and several joints181 of its spinal182 column for the forthcoming insertion of various concealed183 fixtures184.
Following the departure of these assassins the patient carpenter returns and to the best of his ability reduces all the compound fractures that he conveniently can get at, following which he sharpens his saw—not the big saw which he sharpened from eight-forty-five to ten-fifteen o'clock this morning, but the little buttonhole saw which he has not sharpened since yesterday afternoon; this done, he calls it a day and goes home to teach his little son Elmer, who expects to follow in the paternal185 footsteps, the rudiments186 of the art of filing a saw without being in too much of a hurry about it, which after all is the main point in this department of the carpentering profession.
And the next day the plumber remembers where he left his sack of smoking tobacco, or the steam fitter's attention is directed to the fact that when he stuck in the big pipe like a bass187 tuba he forgot to insert alongside it the little pipe like a piccolo, and therefore it becomes necessary to maltreat the already thrice-mangled remains of woodwork. A month or so later the plasterers arrive—they were due in a week, but a plasterer who showed up when he was expected or any time within a month after he had solemnly promised on his sacred word of honor that he meant to show up would have his card taken away from him and be put out of the union. Hours after Gabriel has blown his trump188 for the last call it is going to be incumbent189 upon the little angel bell hops190 to go and page the plasterers, else they won't get there for judgment at all.
Be that as it may and undoubtedly191 will be, in a month or so the plasterers arrive, wearing in streaks192 the same effects in laid-on complexion193 that so many of our leading d閎utantes are wearing all over their faces. The chief plasterer looks over the prospect and decides that in order to insure a smooth and unbroken surface for his plaster coat the plumbing194 and the heating connections must have their elbows tucked in a few notches195, which ultimatum196 naturally requires the good offices of the carpenter, first to snatch out and afterward197 to hammer back into some sort of alignment198 the shreds199 and fragments of his original job. When this sort of thing, with variations, has gone on through a period of months, a house has become an intricate and complicated fabric200 of patchworks and mosaics201 held together, as nearly as a layman202 can figure, by the power of cohesion203 and the pressures of dead weights. The amazing part of it is that it stays put. I am quite sure that our house will stay put, because despite the vagaries—perhaps I should say the morbid204 curiosity—of various artificers intent on taking the poor thing apart every little while, it was constructed of materials which as humans compute205 mutabilities are reasonably permanent in their basic characters.
It was our desire to have a new house that would look like an old house; a yearning206 in which the architect heartily207 concurred, he having a distaste for the slick, shiny, look-out-for-the-paint look which is common enough in American country houses. In this ambition a combination of circumstances served our ends. For the lower walls we looted two of the ancient stone fences which meandered208 aimlessly across the face of our acres. According to local tradition, those fences dated back to pre-Revolutionary days; they were bearded thick with lichens209 and their faces were scored and seamed. In laying them up we were fortunate enough to find and hire a stonemason who was part artificer but mostly real artist—an Italian, with the good taste in masonry210 which seems to be inherent in his countrymen; only in this case the good taste was developed to a very high degree. Literally211 he would fondle a stone whose color and contour appealed to him and his final dab212 with the trowel of mortar213 was in the nature of a caress214.
On top of this find came another and even luckier one. Three miles away was an abandoned brickyard. Once an extensive busy plant, it had lain idle for many years. Lately it had been sold and the new owners were now preparing to salvage215 the material it contained. Thanks to the forethought of the architect, we secured the pick of these pickings. From old pits we exhumed216 fine hard brick which had been stacked there for a generation, taking on those colors and that texture217 which only long exposure to wind and rain and sun can give to brick. These went into our upper walls. For a lower price than knotty218, wavy219, fresh-cut, half-green spruce would have cost us at a lumber179 yard, modern prices and lumber yards being what they are, we stripped from the old kiln220 sheds beautiful dear North Carolina boards, seasoned and staunch. These were for the rough flooring and the sheathing221. The same treasure mine provided us with iron bars for re雗forcing; with heavy beams and splendid thick wide rafters; with fire brick glazed222 over by clays and minerals which in a molten state had flowed down their surfaces; with girders and underpinnings of better grade and greater weight than any housebuilder of moderate means can afford these times. Finally, for roofing we procured223 old field slates224 of all colors and thicknesses and all sizes; and these by intent were laid on in irregular catch-as-catch-can fashion, suggestive when viewed at a little distance of the effect of thatching. Another Italian, a wood carver this time, craftily225 cut the scrolled226 beam ends which show beneath our friendly eaves and in the shadows of our gables. It was necessary only to darken with stains the newly gouged227 surfaces; the rest had been antiquated228 already by fifty years of Hudson River climate. Before the second beam was in place a wren229 was building her nest on the sloped top of the first one. We used to envy that wren—she had moved in before we had.
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1
specifications
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| n.规格；载明；详述；（产品等的）说明书；说明书( specification的名词复数 )；详细的计划书；载明；详述 | |
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vertigo
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| n.眩晕 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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artistically
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| adv.艺术性地 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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symposium
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| n.讨论会，专题报告会；专题论文集 | |
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peculiarities
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| n. 特质, 特性, 怪癖, 古怪 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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proprietor
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| n.所有人；业主；经营者 | |
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dressings
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| n.敷料剂；穿衣( dressing的名词复数 )；穿戴；（拌制色拉的）调料；（保护伤口的）敷料 | |
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tenant
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| n.承租人；房客；佃户；v.租借，租用 | |
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inverse
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| adj.相反的，倒转的，反转的；n.相反之物；v.倒转 | |
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misgivings
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| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕；疑虑，担心，恐惧( misgiving的名词复数 )；疑惧 | |
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inexplicable
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| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
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applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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pounced
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| v.突然袭击( pounce的过去式和过去分词 )；猛扑；一眼看出；抓住机会（进行抨击） | |
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pounce
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| n.猛扑；v.猛扑，突然袭击，欣然同意 | |
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pouncer
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| 保镖，门卫； 跳跃物； 庞然大物 | |
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sketches
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| n.草图( sketch的名词复数 )；素描；速写；梗概 | |
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mound
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| n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫 | |
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awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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complimentary
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| adj.赠送的，免费的，赞美的，恭维的 | |
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contemplates
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| 深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的第三人称单数 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想 | |
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vista
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| n.远景，深景，展望，回想 | |
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devoutly
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| adv.虔诚地，虔敬地，衷心地 | |
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crave
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| vt.渴望得到，迫切需要，恳求，请求 | |
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craved
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| 渴望，热望( crave的过去式 )； 恳求，请求 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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alteration
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| n.变更，改变；蚀变 | |
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oversight
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| n.勘漏，失察，疏忽 | |
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eloquence
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| n.雄辩；口才，修辞 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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feverishly
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| adv. 兴奋地 | |
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parlor
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| n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅 | |
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tacking
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| （帆船）抢风行驶，定位焊[铆]紧钉 | |
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parlors
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| 客厅( parlor的名词复数 )； 起居室； （旅馆中的）休息室； （通常用来构成合成词）店 | |
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43
omission
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| n.省略，删节；遗漏或省略的事物，冗长 | |
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offense
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| n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪 | |
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paradox
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| n.似乎矛盾却正确的说法；自相矛盾的人(物) | |
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46
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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dreading
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| v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的现在分词 ) | |
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celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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50
meek
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| adj.温顺的，逆来顺受的 | |
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51
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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inconvenient
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| adj.不方便的，令人感到麻烦的 | |
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solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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56
hereditary
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| adj.遗传的，遗传性的，可继承的，世袭的 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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58
testament
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| n.遗嘱；证明 | |
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59
infancy
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| n.婴儿期；幼年期；初期 | |
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60
delved
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| v.深入探究，钻研( delve的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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61
skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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collateral
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| adj.平行的；旁系的；n.担保品 | |
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63
corroborate
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| v.支持，证实，确定 | |
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antedate
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| vt.填早...的日期，早干，先干 | |
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genealogies
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| n.系谱，家系，宗谱( genealogy的名词复数 ) | |
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genealogy
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| n.家系，宗谱 | |
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67
sleeper
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| n.睡眠者，卧车，卧铺 | |
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68
hearsay
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| n.谣传，风闻 | |
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allege
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| vt.宣称，申述，主张，断言 | |
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70
adverse
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| adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的 | |
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71
dwellers
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| n.居民，居住者( dweller的名词复数 ) | |
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72
wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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73
cozy
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| adj.亲如手足的，密切的，暖和舒服的 | |
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deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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professed
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| 公开声称的，伪称的，已立誓信教的 | |
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76
bragged
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| v.自夸，吹嘘( brag的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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77
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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gleaned
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| v.一点点地收集（资料、事实）( glean的过去式和过去分词 )；（收割后）拾穗 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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80
concurred
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| 同意（concur的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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81
consensus
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| n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识 | |
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82
emphatic
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| adj.强调的，着重的；无可置疑的，明显的 | |
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83
vice
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| n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的 | |
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84
reproof
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| n.斥责，责备 | |
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85
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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86
vistas
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| 长条形景色( vista的名词复数 )； 回顾； 展望； （未来可能发生的）一系列情景 | |
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tacked
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| 用平头钉钉( tack的过去式和过去分词 )； 附加，增补； 帆船抢风行驶，用粗线脚缝 | |
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88
annex
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| vt.兼并，吞并；n.附属建筑物 | |
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89
adamant
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| adj.坚硬的，固执的 | |
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90
loom
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| n.织布机，织机；v.隐现，(危险、忧虑等)迫近 | |
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91
weaver
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| n.织布工；编织者 | |
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92
dens
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| n.牙齿，齿状部分；兽窝( den的名词复数 )；窝点；休息室；书斋 | |
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93
compartment
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| n.卧车包房，隔间；分隔的空间 | |
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94
persuasive
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| adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的 | |
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95
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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confiscate
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| v.没收(私人财产)，把…充公 | |
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zealous
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| adj.狂热的，热心的 | |
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prehensile
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| adj.（足等）适于抓握的 | |
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poking
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| n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢 | |
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100
lookout
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| n.注意，前途，瞭望台 | |
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aromatic
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| adj.芳香的，有香味的 | |
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aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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104
ransacked
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| v.彻底搜查( ransack的过去式和过去分词 )；抢劫，掠夺 | |
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105
contraband
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| n.违禁品，走私品 | |
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106
pyjamas
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| n.（宽大的）睡衣裤 | |
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inspector
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| n.检查员，监察员，视察员 | |
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108
yearn
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| v.想念；怀念；渴望 | |
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premises
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| n.建筑物，房屋 | |
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sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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111
distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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112
chronic
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| adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的 | |
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chronically
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| ad.长期地 | |
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114
afflicts
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| 使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的名词复数 ) | |
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115
deciduous
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| adj.非永久的；短暂的；脱落的；落叶的 | |
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116
temperate
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| adj.温和的，温带的，自我克制的，不过分的 | |
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117
maples
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| 槭树，枫树( maple的名词复数 )； 槭木 | |
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118
walnuts
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| 胡桃（树）( walnut的名词复数 )； 胡桃木 | |
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119
beeches
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| n.山毛榉( beech的名词复数 )；山毛榉木材 | |
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120
locusts
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| n.蝗虫( locust的名词复数 )；贪吃的人；破坏者；槐树 | |
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121
hemlocks
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| 由毒芹提取的毒药( hemlock的名词复数 ) | |
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122
cedars
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| 雪松，西洋杉( cedar的名词复数 ) | |
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123
arboreal
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| adj.树栖的；树的 | |
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124
adornment
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| n.装饰；装饰品 | |
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125
clutter
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| n.零乱，杂乱；vt.弄乱，把…弄得杂乱 | |
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126
pagoda
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| n.宝塔（尤指印度和远东的多层宝塔），（印度教或佛教的）塔式庙宇 | |
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127
positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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128
whatsoever
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| adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么 | |
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129
sundry
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| adj.各式各样的，种种的 | |
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130
delusions
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| n.欺骗( delusion的名词复数 )；谬见；错觉；妄想 | |
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131
puny
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| adj.微不足道的，弱小的 | |
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132
edifice
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| n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿，教室) | |
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133
structural
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| adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的 | |
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134
conciliation
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| n.调解，调停 | |
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135
shovel
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| n.铁锨，铲子，一铲之量；v.铲，铲出 | |
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136
loam
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| n.沃土 | |
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137
contemplated
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| adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
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138
excavation
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| n.挖掘，发掘；被挖掘之地 | |
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139
labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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140
offhand
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| adj.临时，无准备的；随便，马虎的 | |
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141
tangible
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| adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的 | |
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142
accomplishment
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| n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能 | |
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143
reminder
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| n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示 | |
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144
dwarf
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| n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小 | |
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145
watchful
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| adj.注意的，警惕的 | |
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146
patriotic
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| adj.爱国的，有爱国心的 | |
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147
swarm
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| n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入 | |
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148
hostilities
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| n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事 | |
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149
contractor
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| n.订约人，承包人，收缩肌 | |
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150
ailed
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| v.生病( ail的过去式和过去分词 )；感到不舒服；处境困难；境况不佳 | |
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151
perch
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| n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于 | |
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152
perilously
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| adv.充满危险地，危机四伏地 | |
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153
passerby
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| n.过路人，行人 | |
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154
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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155
halfway
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| adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途 | |
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156
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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157
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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158
darting
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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159
sopping
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| adj. 浑身湿透的 动词sop的现在分词形式 | |
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160
slander
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| n./v.诽谤，污蔑 | |
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161
vouchsafed
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| v.给予，赐予( vouchsafe的过去式和过去分词 )；允诺 | |
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162
boon
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| n.恩赐，恩物，恩惠 | |
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163
scooped
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| v.抢先报道( scoop的过去式和过去分词 )；（敏捷地）抱起；抢先获得；用铲[勺]等挖（洞等） | |
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164
opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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165
thereby
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| adv.因此，从而 | |
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166
prematurely
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| adv.过早地，贸然地 | |
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167
memorable
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| adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的 | |
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168
advent
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| n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临 | |
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169
whim
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| n.一时的兴致，突然的念头；奇想，幻想 | |
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170
metes
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| v.（对某人）施以，给予（处罚等）( mete的第三人称单数 ) | |
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171
elastic
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| n.橡皮圈，松紧带；adj.有弹性的；灵活的 | |
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172
craftsmanship
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| n.手艺 | |
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173
conscientious
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| adj.审慎正直的，认真的，本着良心的 | |
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174
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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175
chisel
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| n.凿子；v.用凿子刻，雕，凿 | |
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176
haggles
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| n.讨价还价( haggle的名词复数 )v.讨价还价( haggle的第三人称单数 ) | |
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177
maze
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| n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑 | |
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178
plumber
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| n.(装修水管的)管子工 | |
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179
lumber
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| n.木材，木料；v.以破旧东西堆满；伐木；笨重移动 | |
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180
ribs
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| n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹 | |
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181
joints
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| 接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语） | |
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182
spinal
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| adj.针的，尖刺的，尖刺状突起的；adj.脊骨的，脊髓的 | |
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183
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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184
fixtures
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| （房屋等的）固定装置( fixture的名词复数 )； 如（浴盆、抽水马桶）； 固定在某位置的人或物； （定期定点举行的）体育活动 | |
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185
paternal
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| adj.父亲的，像父亲的，父系的，父方的 | |
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186
rudiments
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| n.基础知识，入门 | |
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187
bass
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| n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴 | |
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188
trump
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| n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭 | |
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189
incumbent
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| adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的 | |
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190
hops
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| 跳上[下]( hop的第三人称单数 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花 | |
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191
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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192
streaks
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| n.（与周围有所不同的）条纹( streak的名词复数 )；（通常指不好的）特征（倾向）；（不断经历成功或失败的）一段时期v.快速移动( streak的第三人称单数 )；使布满条纹 | |
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193
complexion
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| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
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194
plumbing
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| n.水管装置；水暖工的工作；管道工程v.用铅锤测量（plumb的现在分词）；探究 | |
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195
notches
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| n.（边缘或表面上的）V型痕迹( notch的名词复数 )；刻痕；水平；等级 | |
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196
ultimatum
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| n.最后通牒 | |
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197
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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198
alignment
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| n.队列；结盟，联合 | |
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199
shreds
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| v.撕碎，切碎( shred的第三人称单数 )；用撕毁机撕毁（文件） | |
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200
fabric
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| n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织 | |
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201
mosaics
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| n.马赛克( mosaic的名词复数 )；镶嵌；镶嵌工艺；镶嵌图案 | |
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202
layman
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| n.俗人，门外汉，凡人 | |
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203
cohesion
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| n.团结，凝结力 | |
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204
morbid
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| adj.病的；致病的；病态的；可怕的 | |
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205
compute
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| v./n.计算，估计 | |
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206
yearning
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| a.渴望的；向往的；怀念的 | |
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207
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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208
meandered
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| （指溪流、河流等）蜿蜒而流( meander的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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209
lichens
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| n.地衣( lichen的名词复数 ) | |
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210
masonry
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| n.砖土建筑；砖石 | |
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211
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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212
dab
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| v.轻触，轻拍，轻涂；n.(颜料等的)轻涂 | |
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213
mortar
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| n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合 | |
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214
caress
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| vt./n.爱抚，抚摸 | |
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215
salvage
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| v.救助，营救，援救；n.救助，营救 | |
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216
exhumed
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| v.挖出，发掘出( exhume的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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217
texture
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| n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理 | |
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218
knotty
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| adj.有结的，多节的，多瘤的，棘手的 | |
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219
wavy
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| adj.有波浪的，多浪的，波浪状的，波动的，不稳定的 | |
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220
kiln
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| n.（砖、石灰等）窑，炉；v.烧窑 | |
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221
sheathing
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| n.覆盖物，罩子v.将（刀、剑等）插入鞘( sheathe的现在分词 )；包，覆盖 | |
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222
glazed
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| adj.光滑的，像玻璃的；上过釉的；呆滞无神的v.装玻璃( glaze的过去式)；上釉于，上光；（目光）变得呆滞无神 | |
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223
procured
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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224
slates
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| （旧时学生用以写字的）石板( slate的名词复数 )； 板岩； 石板瓦； 石板色 | |
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225
craftily
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| 狡猾地，狡诈地 | |
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226
scrolled
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| adj.具有涡卷装饰的v.（电脑屏幕上）从上到下移动（资料等），卷页( scroll的过去式和过去分词 )；（似卷轴般）卷起；（像展开卷轴般地）将文字显示于屏幕 | |
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227
gouged
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| v.凿( gouge的过去式和过去分词 )；乱要价；（在…中）抠出…；挖出… | |
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228
antiquated
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| adj.陈旧的，过时的 | |
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229
wren
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| n.鹪鹩；英国皇家海军女子服务队成员 | |
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