own powders, seeds and dried
herbs, tops of teapots, and stoppers of departed decanters--from the rag
hole in the garret, to the rat hole in the cellar, no place escapes
unrummaged. It would seem as if the day of general doom had come, and the
utensils of the house were dragged forth to judgment.

In this tempest, the words of King Lear unavoidably present themselves,
and might, with little alteration, be made strictly applicable.

"Let the great gods,
That keep this dreadful pother o'er our heads,
Find out their enemies now. Tremble, thou wretch,
That hast within thee undivulged crimes
Unwhipp'd of justice.
Close pent-up guilts,
Rive your concealing continents, and cry
These dreadful summoners grace."

This ceremony completed, and the house thoroughly evacuated, the next
operation is to smear the walls and ceilings with brushes dipped into a
solution of lime, called whitewash; to pour buckets of water over every
floor; and scratch all the partitions and wainscots with hard brushes,
charged with soft soap and stonecutters' sand.

The windows by no means escape the general deluge. A servant scrambles out
upon the penthouse, at the risk of her neck, and, with a mug in her hand
and a bucket within reach, dashes innumerable gallons of water against the
glass panes, to the great annoyance of passengers in the street.

I have been told that an action at law was once brought against one of
these water nymphs, by a person who had a new suit of clothes spoiled by
this operation: but after long argument, it was determined that no damages
could be awarded; inasmuch as the defendant was in the exercise of a legal
right, and not answerable for the consequences. And so the poor gentleman
was doubly non-suited; for he lost both his suit of clothes and his suit
at law.

These smearings and scratchings, these washings and dashings, being duly
performed, the next ceremonial is to cleanse and replace the distracted
furniture. You may have seen a house raising, or a ship launch--
recollect, if you can, the hurry, bustle, confusion, and noise of such a
scene, and you will have some idea of this cleansing match. The misfortune
is, that the sole object is to make things clean. It matters not how many
useful, ornamental, or valuable articles suffer mutilation or death under
the operation. A mahogany chair and a carved frame undergo the same
discipline; they are to be made clean at all events; bu