to
sink below zero during the night. But you hear complaints on all sides
in Germany, both of inconsiderate English people who waste fuel by
opening windows in cold weather; and of the sufferings endured by
Germans who have been in England in winter. They do not like our open
fireplaces at all, because they say they wish to be warm all over and
not in bits. "In England," they tell you solemnly, "you can be warm
either in front or at the back; but you cannot be warm on both sides
as we are here. Besides, your fireplaces make dirt and work and are
extravagant. They would not suit us." In fact, they imply that for the
French and the English they are well enough, but not for the salt of
the earth. The German kitchen stoves are certainly more practical and
economical than ours, and I never can understand why we do not fetch a
few over and try them. They are entirely enclosed, and much lower than
ours. The Berlin kitchener has one fire that is lighted for a short
time to roast a joint, and another using less fuel that heats water
and does light cooking. The sweep, who is bound by the etiquette of
his trade to wear a tall hat in Germany, does not come into your flat
at all. You hear him shout through the courtyard that he will visit
the house next day, and he works from the garrets and cellars. The
police regulate his visits as they regulate everything else in
Germany. Chimneys must be swept every six weeks in summer, and every
four weeks in winter in Berlin. Dustbins are emptied every day, and in
some towns the police make most troublesome regulations with regard to
them. The householder has to set his outside to be emptied, and the
police insist on this being done at a certain hour, neither earlier
nor later, so that if your servant happens to be careless or
unpunctual you will be repeatedly fined.

Staircases vary greatly according to the date and rent of the house.
The most modern houses in Berlin have broad front staircases with
thick carpets, and in some cases seats of "Nouveau Art" design on the
landings. In such houses you are always met on the threshold by
printed requests to wipe your feet and shut the door gently. They
don't tell you to do as you're bid. That is taken for granted, or the
police will know the reason why. There is always an uncarpeted back
staircase for servants and tradespeople, and for the tenants who
inhabit the poorer parts of the building. In houses where all the
tenants belong to the poorer cla