THE GENERAL SERVANT.

      175. WHETHER the entire WORK of a HOUSEHOLD can be efficiently performed with one servant, is a question very frequently discussed, and one that often gives rise to a very considerable diversity of opinion. Our own judgment--deduced from long experience--is, that it can be done. That a methodical, considerate mistress, thoroughly acquainted herself with household affairs, can, with one active, intelligent, and obliging servant, manage her establishment both comfortably and creditably ; that she can have a clean and neat house, and well-cooked meals punctually served at regular hours, without being herself a "household drudge." We believe that uncleanliness, untidiness, and waste, with unwholesome food at uncertain intervals--than which there is nothing more trying to the temper and digestion of man--and all other discomfort and annoyances of an ill-organized household, are no more necessities in a family where only one servant can be afforded, than in one that is served by a whole retinue of domestics.

      176. The following account of the daily work of a general servant, which we make as accurate and minute as possible, shows how a household can be managed with one servant ; we trust that it may prove useful to mistress and maid ; more particularly in those cases where, from want of an early training, or from having but recently entered on those duties and responsibilities, the mistress does not possess the knowledge required for ordering her household.

      177. Is a most important part of household economy. A mistress can assist her servant in her work, and lighten it for her, without having to perform offices uncongenial and distasteful to a woman of education and refinement. In order to explain these relative duties in the most clear and comprehensive matter possible, we give an outline of the servant's work in the order in which it is necessary and most convenient that she should perform it, followed by an outline of the share of the domestic duty which falls most pleasantly and naturally to the mistress, concluding with tried methods of "the best mode of doing things."

      178. Early rising is a most essential point ; therefore, as a rule, six, summer and winter, is the hour at which to rise. The morning work, with fires and extra boot-cleaning, is heavier in winter than in summer ; therefore at that season the maid can less afford to lie late in bed.

      179. On coming downstairs she should open all the shutters, and, if the weather be fine, the windows of all the lower rooms.

      180. She should then go to the kitchen, and having cleared out the remains of the fire of the night before, and brushed up, blacked, and brightened the range, she should proceed--

      181. She will then go on--

      182. Having laid down a coarse cloth over the carpet in front of the fireplace, she will first clear away all the cinders and ashes from the grate, putting them in the cinder-pail. This is a japanned tin pail, with a wire sifter inside and a closely fitting top. In this the cinders are sifted, and reserved for use in the kitchen or for the copper-fire, the ashes alone being thrown away. She will then blacklead the grate, first laying on the blacklead with a soft brush, then brushing it vigorously with a hard one, finishing it off with a polishing brush. No blacklead is to be put upon any portions of the grate that may be of polished steel ; these should be rubbed with a clean dry leather and putty powder. If any spots of rust appear, a paste made of fresh lime and oil should at once be applied, and renewed until it has disappeared ; the fire-irons are to be cleaned in the same way if bright, and then rubbed with the leather ; all the bright-steel portions of the fender should be rubbed with the leather ; emery-paper must on no account be used to bright steel.

      183. She will then light the fire. Fire-lighting, however simple, is an operation requiring some skill. A fire is readily made by laying a few cinders at the bottom in open order ; over this a few pieces of paper, and over that again eight or ten pieces of dry wood ; over the wood, a course of moderate-sized pieces of coal, taking care to leave hollow spaces between for air at the centre, and taking care to lay the whole well back in the grate, so that the smoke may go up the chimney and not into the room. This done, fire the paper with a match from below, and, if properly laid, it will soon burn up ; the stream of flame from the wood and paper soon communicating to the coals and cinders, provided there is plenty of air at the centre.

      184. A new method of lighting a fire is sometimes practiced with advantage, the fire lighting from the top and burning down, in place of being lighted and burning up from below. This is arranged by laying the coals at the bottom, mixed with a few good-sized cinders, and the wood at the top, with another layer of coals and some paper over it ; the paper is lighted in the usual way, and soon burns down to a good fire, with some economy of fuel, it is said.

      185. That being done, she will clean the hearthstone, bringing up for the purpose a small pail of hot water, a house-flannel, and a piece of hearthstone. Having well washed the hearthstone, she will whiten it by rubbing it well with with the hearthstone ; but in doing this she must be very careful to let none of the water touch the grate, fender, or fire-irons. Then, having removed all her brushes and boxes, the dust-pan, pail, house-flannel, and stone, and having shut the parlor-door, she will sweep the hall, using for it the house-sweeping brush, and not the carpet-broom. She will also sweep the halldoor-steps, and, taking out the door-mats, beat and shake them well.

      186. Then she will return to the breakfast-room, where the dust will be by this time settled, and dust it all carefully.

      187. In doing this, she will be particular not to omit dusting the legs of the various pieces of furniture, and lifting and dusting under as well as round all the small articles on chimneypiece, sideboard, side-table, and bookshelves, also the window-ledges and sills.

      188. She will then arrange the various articles of furniture in their places, replace the rug and fender, and leave the room, shutting the door after her again.

    INGREDIENTS.-- 1 lb. of common asphaltum, ½ pint of linseed oil, 1 quart of oil of turpentine.
    Mode.-- Melt the asphaltum, and add gradually to it the other two ingredients. Apply this with a painter's brush, and leave it to become perfectly dry. The grate will need no other cleaning, but will merely require dusting every day, and occasionally brushing with a dry blacklead brush. This is, of course, when no fires are used. When they are required, the bars, cheeks, and back of the grate will need blackleading in the usual manner.

    INGREDIENTS.-- 1 tablespoonful of turpentine, 1 ditto of sweet oil, emery powder.
    Mode.-- Mix the turpentine and sweet oil together, stirring in sufficient emery powder to make the mixture of the thickness of cream. Put it on the article with a piece of soft flannel, rub off quickly with another piece, then polish with a little emery powder and clean leather.

      191. She should then clean any boots unavoidably left since the night before ; after which, the last of the morning's "dirty work" being done, the servant goes upstairs and knocks at the different bedroom doors to "call" the family, supplying those who require it with warm water, which--not to empty her kettle--she should draw from the boiler, where, by this time, it will be quite warm enough, except for shaving-water, which must be boiling and taken from the kettle. She should then go to her own room, wash her face and hands, brush her hair, and put on a clean cap and apron.

      192. Her next work is--

      193. The requisites for this for a family of four, will be found on page xlvii. These she should collect on her tray, placing them carefully, the large plates one over another, and the small plates on them ; the four saucers one over another, and two of the cups one within the other on them, the other two cups one within the other in the slop-basin ; the tablecloths and napkins are usually kept in the sideboard drawer.

      194. Having spread the cloth carefully, she should lay at each person's place a large and small knife, a fork, and a large and small plate ; the knives are to be at the right hand side of the large plates and close to them, the forks at the left and close too, the small egg-plates next to the forks ; the cups and saucers should the ranged together before the mistress's place, the teapot, or coffee-urn, stand behind them, and the slop-basin next to it, the milk-jug and sugar-basin on the other side ; the small carving-knife and fork should be put with his own knife and fork at the master's place, and a mat before it for the hot dish, the tablespoon, placed lengthwise, in front of that ; the teaspoons should be put each in one of the saucers, the egg-spoons each on one of the small plates, and the napkins each on one of the large plates ; the cruet-stand in the centre of the table, one of the salt-cellars at the right hand top corner, the other at the right hand bottom corner of the table ; the dessert-spoon placed on the plate with the marmalade, which will be taken from the cellaret ; the butter-knife laid close to the butter-dish, the bread-knife in the bread-platter, the large carving-knife and fork on the sideboard.

      195. This being done, she will bring up the cold meat, having first put it on a clean dish, and place it on the sideboard ; bring up the bread in the bread-basket or on the bread-platter, which should be clean and white, and place it at the side of the table and the butter in the butter-dish, where the mistress will put the sugar-basin when she takes it from the cellaret. Should there be a portion of a loaf of bread cut the day before, that should be brought up ; but unless it be more than half a loaf, an entire one should be brought up also. About a quarter of a pound of butter will be sufficient, and half a pint of milk.

      196. She will then go to the kitchen to--

      197. The kettle being boiling, she will move it a little to be side--still keeping it boiling--to make room for the pan or gridiron. Having put down the rashers of bacon, or whatever other meat is to be cooked for breakfast, and put a dish and four plates into the oven to warm, she may, while attending to the meat, make, if any of the family require it, two or three rounds of thin toast, which, as soon as each one is finished, should be placed in the toast-rack. The meat being cooked, it should be put on the hot dish, and covered close to keep warm.

      198. The mistress will then be down to take out the tea and sugar from the cellaret, and the servant having brought down the tea, will make it, first rinsing the teapot with boiling water.

      199. Most mistresses prefer to make both tea and coffee ; for this purpose an urn is used in summer, and the bright copper kettle in winter.

      200. While the tea is drawing, she will boil the eggs. These being done and placed in the egg-cups, she will put them on a dish and the dish on her tray ; she will put on it also the teapot, the dish of hot meat, and the hot plates, and take all to the breakfast-room ; she will place the teapot on the stand before her mistress, the dish on the mat before her master, the plates also before him, the eggs at the side ; she will then wait a few moments in the room to hand the plates. All this, if done in the above order and quickly, without dawdling,  can be accomplished by eight o'clock, winter or summer. While the family are at their breakfast, she should take her own ; and then, immediately she is done, she should go upstairs and open all the bedroom windows, and turn down the beds to air.

      201. When the family have finished breakfast, she should first clear away the breakfast things, then take up the crumbs in the dustpan, arrange the chairs in their places, and sweep up the hearth. Where but one servant is kept, and in a town house, it is better immediately after breakfast to attend to downstair  work, rather than go to make up the bedrooms. For, as between nine and ten o'clock is the usual hour for tradespeople to call, the continued running up and down stairs to attend to them, if she be engaged in the upper part of the house, besides being a severe tax upon her strength, greatly retards a servant in work. The unavoidable delays, too, which it occasions in attending to them, is a considerable trial to the patience of the butcher and greengrocer, who are also trying to get through their  morning's work as quickly as possible. After breakfast, therefore, the first thing for the general servant to do is to--

      202. When all the things are done they should be put instantly by, the plates and dishes in their appointed places on the dresser, the china cups and saucers in the cupboard, the knives in the knife-basket, the silver in the plate-basket, and at once taken up to the dining-room, and placed in the cellaret, and locked in.

      203. The servant should then wash down the kitchen-table, empty, wipe out, and put aside the pail, hang up the towels to try, clean and put aside the egg-saucepan and frying-pan ; arrange the kitchen fire, sweep up the hearth, and generally tidy up the kitchen for her mistress's inspection.

      204. Then, having washed her hands, she will go upstairs, and proceed--

      205. The first thing to be done in the rooms is to empty the slops, and for this she should take with her the slop-pail, a jug of boiling water, and two slop-cloths.

      206. She should then lightly sweep up into her dustpan any fluff, scraps of paper, &c., that may be about the floor ; straighten the carpet, if only side strips are used, and arrange any of the furniture that may be out of its proper place. Then dust the room thoroughly, lifting all the things from the dressing-table and chimney-piece and wiping each, dusting the looking-glass back and front, and removing, by rubbing, any spots that may appear on the plate. She should also dust the top and front of the chest of drawers, the front of the wardrobe, the sills and ledges of the windows and the door, she should then fill the water-jugs with soft and the bottles with clean cold water. Having completely finished one room, she should proceed to the next, and so through them all ; and when all are done, she should take downstairs all the candlesticks and hot-water jugs. Besides this ordinary cleaning, each bedroom in the house should get a thorough cleaning once a week ; and they should be taken in regular rotation with the other work. Thus the following is a good division:--

      208. Also, if not carpeted all over, each bedroom should be scoured out once a fortnight.

      209. Supposing, then, that it is Monday, and that one of the large bedrooms is to be scoured, she will, after having arranged the three others in the ordinary way, proceed to--

      210. For this she will first require a sweeping-brush, dustpan, and some moist tea-leaves, a furniture-brush, and duster.

      211. Her first work will be to remove all the mattresses from the beds and brush them with the furniture-brush, and to dust thoroughly all the joints and crevices of the bedstead.

      212. She will then make the bed, proceeding as before directed, except that she will put on clean sheets, bolster and pillowcases ; will fold up the counterpane over the side of the bed, and pin up the curtains as high as she can ; also pin up the valance of the bed, and spread over all a large dusting-sheet.

      213. She will then remove from the room all the dressing-table apparatus, all small ornamental articles, the towels and sponges, and any clothes that may be hanging on pegs ; she will put the soiled sheets, bolster and pillow cases, window-blind and toilet-cover into the clothes-basket, remove the fender and fire-irons, and roll up and remove the strips of carpets and the hearth-rug.

      214. She will then sprinkle the tea-leaves over the floor, and sweep the room, beginning at the door, going into all the corners, and bringing the dust to the hearthstone, where she will collect it in the dustpan.

      215. She will then brush down the walls, for this purpose using the cornice-brush, or tying a clean duster over the sweeping-brush, and being careful to remove any cobwebs from the corners and ceiling.

      216. She will then take the sweeping-brush and dustpan downstairs and bring up the housemaid's box with the blacklead-brushes, &c., for cleaning the grate ; also a small pail and bowl, a can of hot water, a house-flannel and hearthstone, a piece of soap, a clean small flannel, and a clean glass-cloth.

      217. She will then clean the grate, fender, fire-irons, and hearthstone, in the same manner and rotation as she did those of the breakfast-parlor.

      218. She will then dust the room, doing it very thoroughly, not flapping and slapping the duster about, but wiping carefully with it the dust off the furniture, window-sills and ledges, the door, and wainscot.

      219. Then she will wash with warm water and soap all the china on the wash-stand, rinsing it afterwards with cold water and wiping it dry with the cloth for that purpose ; then wash the water-carafe and tumbler with warm water and soap, or a bit of soda, rinsing them very thoroughly afterwards with cold water, and rubbing them dry with the glass-cloth ; then, also with warm water and soap, she will wash the top of the stand if it be of marble, using for this purpose the small flannel.

      220. She will then wash, also with soap and warm water and flannel, the china handles and plates of the door. If any part of the paint is dirty, it should be washed, too, but very carefully, and with cold water, or the paint will be injured.

      221. To do this properly she will require pieces of stiff cardboard if cut to fit closely round the handle and door-plate ; these are held in place while the washing and drying are done, to prevent the paint from being worn away.

     Mix with ¼ pint of soap-lees, ½ gill of turpentine, sufficient pipe-clay and bullocks' gall to make the whole into a rather thick paste. Apply it to the marble with a soft brush, and after a day or two, when quite dry, rub it off with a soft rag. Apply this a second or third time, till the marble is quite clean.

      223. Another Method. -- Take two parts of soda, one of pumice-stone, and one of finely-powdered chalk. Sift these through a fine sieve, and mix them into a paste with water. Rub this well over the marble, and the stains will be removed: then wash it with soap and water, and a beautiful bright polish will be produced.

      224. She will then wash with soap and warm  water if it be summer, but cold  water if it be frosty winter weather, the window-panes, as much as she can get at without going outside. The warm soap and water should be applied first briskly with the flannel ; the glass should then be rinsed down with cold water, and dried and polished off afterwards with clean, dry cloths. For the rinsing, a sponge will be found very useful. The window-sills, if dirty, should also be washed, but, like the door, gently, for fear of injuring the paint.

      225. For all these purposes she will use the small bowl, which she can empty into the pail, and refill from the can as often as required.

    With a clean washleather, kept for the purpose alone, wash down the windows with clean cold water, moving the leather one way only (downwards) ; rinse in clean water, and repeat with the rung-out leather. Wash all the windows in this way both inside and out, and leave them to dry. Note. --this plan should not be used in a dusty thoroughfare, or when the sun shines hotly on the window.

      227. All this work being finished, and having taken downstairs her pail, bowl, can, housemaid's box, stone, soap, cloths, flannels, &c., she will next proceed to--

      228. For this, if the room be scoured regularly once a fortnight, she will require nothing more than plenty of clean cold soft water, a good scrubbing-brush, and a house-flannel. Having scrubbed well with the brush, and plenty of water, a portion as far as her arm will reach, she should dry it off with the flannel before moving to do another portion, and she must be careful not to omit scrubbing equally all the floor, else it will have a patchy appearance afterwards, some portions being whiter than others. She should also empty her pail and refill it with clean water very frequently.

      229. But if the boards have not been washed for a long time, and are really dirty, soap and sand must be used and the water must be changed very frequently.

      230. The following is a very good recipe--

      231. ¼ lb. lime, ½ lb. washing soda, 1 quart boiling water. Mix all together, and leave until cold. Then drain off the water, and use the sediment instead of soap.

      232. In scrubbing a room, the servant should began with the part most remote from the door, and scrub regularly to the door. It should be done as quickly as possible, for when finished the windows and door should be set wide open, so as to allow a good current of air to pass through the room and dry the boards. In winter a fire ought to be lighted. A bedroom should never be scoured in wet, or even damp, weather. When the room is thoroughly dry, she will replace the carpets, after well shaking or beating them, bring back the towels, sponges, clothes, ornaments, &c., which she had removed, and arrange them all in their places ; rub and polish the furniture, remove the dusting-sheet from the bed, let down the valance, counterpane, and curtains, and put on a clean toilet-cover, and put up clean muslin blinds.

      233. We have thus given a description of the thorough cleaning of a bedroom, so that, when necessary, the general servant will know how to do everything that is requisite to be done: but in many houses the bedrooms are carpeted all over, and are, therefore, only scoured once or twice a year, when the carpets are taken up. Also, in a very few families where but one servant is kept, are the bed-linen, blinds, and toilet-covers changed so often as once a week.

      234. The bedrooms being all finished, the servant will dust down the bannisters, rubbing the handrail well. She will also dust the closet and the lobby windows, the sills, and ledges.

      235. But on a day when the bedroom is being thoroughly cleaned out, these duties need not be deferred until the bedroom is quite completed. While the dust is settling in the room after the sweeping, and before the dusting, is a good time to do the stairs, &c.

      236. At twelve o'clock the maid must peel and put in the potatoes for her own dinner, and for the children's dinner or mistress's lunch.

      237. The morning housework being completed with the drawing-room, the servant will now

      238. The things required for this will depend upon the nature of the meal. If tea or coffee is used, cups and saucers must be taken up. Cold meat must be placed on a clean dish, and plates, besides the small breakfast-plates, supplied for it. Also large knives and forks, and a carving knife and fork, tumblers and wine-glasses, and a sufficient number of articles, whatever be the kind used, must be provided for the number of people as at breakfast: if four people, four of everything. The table will be laid the same as at breakfast, only that, if there are but one or two ladies for luncheon, it will be sufficient to lay the cloth over half the table only.

      239. While the family are at luncheon she should take her own dinner, then remove and wash up the things.

      240. After this she should take out a sufficient supply of coals for the rest of the day ; when, all dirty work being over, she should go up and dress herself for the afternoon. From this time (about two o'clock) until four she may occupy herself with starching, sprinkling, and folding, or ironing, any things of her own or her mistress's that go in the week's home wash, which she can do, and keep herself clean and tidy at the same time to attend the hall-door during this the usual visiting hour. We may here remark that no washing should be done by a general servant when it is possible to put it out. The afternoons in the week that she has not got this to do she should give to needlework, making, mending, and keeping her own clothes in order. If six be the dinner-hour, at four she will begin to--

      241. However, if a large joint has to be roasted, she would have to began her preparations earlier. For example, an 8-lb. leg of mutton would take from a quarter before four ; but if the dinner were to consist of cold meat, fried fish, and soup, perhaps made the day before, if she set to work at half-past four she would have ample time for all preparations. This part of a servant's business, however, varies so much with each day's dinner, that it is impossible to lay down any exact rule to be precisely followed each day ; but when a servant knows from experience the length of time it will take her to prepare a number of dishes of certain kinds, she should always commence sufficiently early to allow herself that length of time, and not try and cheat herself into the belief that she can do it equally well in half. If a shoulder of mutton weighing 7 lb., gravy soup, an apple-tart, mashed turnips and potatoes are ordered for dinner at 4 o'clock, she should put down the joint, then she should make the tart (putting it in a cool place afterwards), then lay the cloth for dinner, then put in the turnips, then the potatoes, then put the tart in the oven. While the turnips and potatoes are boiling she should clear the soup, and add the vegetables thereto. At a quarter to six she should take up the turnips, and if quite tender, mash them, adding the butter and pepper and salt ; put them back in the saucepan, and place it at the side of the fire to keep warm. The gravy for the mutton should then be prepared. At six precisely the soup should be served, and, having handed round the potatoes, the servant should return to the kitchen and dish the mutton and vegetables, which she will get done just by the time the family are ready for them. By following this course she will be able to serve all her dinner punctually and satisfactorily.

      243. Everything should be as clean as possible. The bread-plates free from crumbs, the butter-dish unsmeared with butter, the salt-cellars bright and filled with fine salt, the cruet-stand quite bright and clean, the mustard-pot half filled with fresh mustard, the vinegar-bottle filled with vinegar, and the other bottles with whatever sauces may be used. If dessert and wine be taken, the dessert will be placed down the middle of the table, in which case the cruet-stand will be put on the sideboard, and a vase of flowers substituted for it on the table. The wine will be placed at the corners of table, inside the salt-cellars and table-spoons ; if there are but two decanters one will be placed at the right hand top corner and one at the right hand bottom corner.

      244. When dessert and wine are used, four dessert plates and four dessert knives will have to be brought up and placed on the sideboard. Four additional table-spoons will also have to be put on the table at the other corners. Each person must have as many glasses as there are different kinds of wines. If only sherry and claret, a sherry and claret glass to each person ; if sherry, claret, and port, a sherry glass, claret glass, and port glass to each person.

      245. If nuts in the shells form part of the dessert, a pair of net-crackers should be placed on each dish of nuts.

      246. If the servant adopts a particular system in bringing up and laying all these various things, and adheres to its regularly each day, she will find that it may all be accomplished in a very short space of time, and nothing be forgotten.

      247. The table laid and the cooking completed, her next work will be to--

      248. Five minutes before beginning this she should put four soup-plates in the oven, or in the plate-warmer if there be one, to warm.

      249. She should first rinse out the soup-tureen with hot water to warm it, then place it on the table. Then take the digester from the fire, remove the cover carefully, and pour the soup quickly  from it into the tureen. It should be done at once, not allowing the soup to dribble at all over the side of the digester. She should then put aside the digester, and examine the soup carefully ; if there be the slightest sign of grease floating on it or any black that may have got accidentally from the side or cover of the digester, it should be instantly removed with a spoon or piece of clean blotting-paper.

      250. She should then put the cover on the tureen, place the tureen on its dish, carry it upstairs, and put it on the table, at the head.

      251. She should then take up the plates, and having announced to the family that dinner is served, should wait in the room to hand round the soups, then return to the kitchen.

      252. She should then put four plates, a large dish, and two vegetable dishes to warm.

      253. The dish being hot she should wipe it, take the mutton from the spit and place it on it, carefully examining the meat and removing any small cinder that might happen to have flown from the fire on it. She should pour the gravy around the meat--not over it--then cover it.

      254. She should then dish the potatoes, taking them carefully one by one with a spoon from saucepan or steamer, not shaking them all out together.

      255. Then dish the mashed turnips ; these should  be turned out altogether from the saucepan, as taking them up in spoonfuls would cool them.

      256. She should then take up the meat and plates (having first wiped them), and place them on the tray upside the door. Then when the bell rings she should remove the soup, soup-plates, under-plates, and spoons, and put on the meat and plates for that both before her master, she should then return to the kitchen, bring up the potatoes and turnips, and place them on the table, one dish on each side.

      257. She should, having waited in the room to hand the plates and vegetables, return to the kitchen, taking with her the soup-tureen. While the family are partaking of the meal she should put four plates to warm, for the tart. She may also bring down the soup-plates and spoons, and wash up them and the tureen while waiting.

      258. When she removes the tart from the oven, she should place it on a clean dish. Before taking up this and the plates for it, she should remove the meat, plates, and vegetables.

      259. Having placed it on the table, and also the sifted sugar, she should wait in the room to hand about the plates ; then return to the kitchen, taking some of the things from the tray with her, and continue her washing up.

      260. Having removed the tart she should take that and the meat to the pantry; the latter should be placed on a clean, cold dish, and the gravy put aside in a basin. She should then also remove all the rest of the things, taking the bread, butter, and cheese to the pantry, and all the used plates, dishes, knives, forks, spoons, and glasses to the kitchen.

      261. She should perform this work of removing as quietly and noiselessly as possible, following, as in the laying, a regular system.

      262. She should first remove the dish, then the plates, and collecting the knives, forks, and spoons, in a basket, or putting them all together on the tray, the plates piled one upon another on the tray ; but she should never attempt to pile the plates with the knives, forks, and spoons on them. She should remove the glasses carefully, not clashing them together. Dinner being removed, she should then remove the crumbs with the brush for that purpose, fold the cloth neatly, and proceed--

      263. But this, as we have shown, she may have commenced beforehand.

      264. She should have a large tub of hot water and a couple of good dry rubbers for the greasy plates and dishes. She should wash them first very thoroughly, and wipe them well dry. Then the knives: she should hold the blades in the water, not letting letting it touch the handle, and should wipe them quite dry. Then the silver spoons, for which she should take some fresh hot water ; after being washed and wiped they should be rubbed well with a very dry soft cloth.

      265. The glasses must not be washed in the same pail used for the greasy things ; she should have another pail for them, with some warm, not hot,  water. They should be washed first and left to drain, then dried quickly with a fine dry linen glass-cloth.

      266. When all the things are washed, they should be put by in their proper places, and the towels used hung up to dry.

      267. Then having put the kettle on to boil, she should go to the scullery and clean up all the pots, pans, and saucepans, the roaster, and whatever else was used in cooking the dinner, and clean the knives. This last will be but little trouble if a knife-cleaner is used. She should then clean any boots and shoes dry enough to be done ; take out a sufficient supply of coals for next morning's fires. She should then tidy up her kitchen, and having resumed her white apron, which she will have exchanged for a common coarse one while doing the dirty work, she will take up the tray for tea, or coffee, or whatever else the family may be in the habit of taking in the evening. She should also take up the chamber candlesticks and leave them in the hall.

      268. It will now be about half-past eight, and occasionally she may ask leave to go out for an hour, or possibly her master or mistress may send her out on some errand ; if the evening be fine, a short walk in the fresh air will refresh and invigorate her.

      269. Having removed the tea-tray and washed up the things used, she should go up to the bedrooms, taking with her the slop-pail and a large can of clean cold water. Having emptied the slops and refilled any jugs and bottles that may require it, she should turn down the beds. In doing this she should first fold back the small portion of the sheet that is in excess of length of the other clothes, then turn back all together, but not bringing them down farther than to expose the bolster and pillows. She should then let down the curtains at each side of the bed.

      270. She should also close any windows that may be open and hasp them, draw down the blinds, and shut the shutters, or draw the window curtains, according as the people to occupy the room desire.

      271. Having come downstairs again, she should empty the slop-pail, rinse it, wipe it dry, and set it aside.

      272. She should then lock all the lower doors and turn off the kitchen gas, and having taken up the keys and the plate to her mistress, she should go to bed.

      273. This, except on rare occasions of late company, she ought not to delay, if she can help, later than ten o'clock. If if her master and mistress do not require her to sit up, she should never loiter about. Plenty of sleep is absolutely necessary for any one who daily undergoes hard bodily labour ; and this a general servant who rises at six cannot have unless she goes to bed at ten o'clock.

      274. The daily routine of a general servant's work, of course, to a certain extent, must vary, no one day be exactly the same as the one before or the one to come after.

      275. For instance, in the day described, we have given for afternoon work starching or ironing ; but another afternoon it would be rubbing plate, cleaning brass candlesticks, cleaning lamps, gaselier shades, &c.

      276. Washing should be done in the forenoon ; but supposing that one bedroom is scoured every week, the servant should never attempt washing on the same day.

      277. Sweeping the stairs should be done on one of the bedroom cleaning days, but not on the bedroom scouring  day.

      278. Cleaning the doorsteps should be daily work. They should be done in the morning before breakfast, if possible ; if not, immediately after the bedrooms are done up, and before putting on the luncheon.

      279. In all washing up, scouring, &c., the servant should never grudge herself plenty of clean water and clean cloths ; it saves trouble in the end, for it is impossible to make things look clean with dirty cloths and water.