hat it may not get
knocked about too violently when the water boils.

Immerse the bottle in a saucepan of cold water with a piece of soap the
size of a nut in it, and if the lace be very dirty, a small pinch of
salt, and let it boil for about an hour pouring off the water as it gets
dirty and adding clean.

When all the dirt has been boiled out of the lace, which you will know
to be the case when the water remains perfectly clear, rinse out the
soap before you take the lace off the bottle, by plunging it into cold
water.

TO WASH REAL LACE.--The process is the same as the above, but as real
lace is so seldom washed and is generally very yellow and fragile,
particularly if it has been roughly used, it is rather difficult to
clean.

If stained or greasy, it should be left to soak for some hours or even
days, in good olive oil. This restores to the thread that softness and
smoothness which use and bad washing had impaired. After the oil bath it
should be washed on a bottle in the manner already described.

TO STIFFEN LACE.--Dip the lace when perfectly dry in thin starch
prepared as follows.

Take as much fine wheaten starch, as you think you will require, divide
it into two portions and dissolve both in cold water. Boil the one
portion and when it has so far cooled as to have ceased to steam, stir
the cold starch into it and dilute the whole with cold water to the
consistency of thick cream. If the lace is to be slightly coloured, add
a few drops of black coffee, or dilute the starch with weak tea or
guimauve water; the coffee will give it a dark cream colour, either of
the latter a pale greenish hue.

Dip the lace in the mixture and squeeze it out gently without wringing
it to get rid of all the superfluous liquid, then lay it flat on the
left hand and beat it for a few minutes with the right to work the
starch well in; repeat the whole process twice, then roll the lace in
fine linen and leave it there till you are ready to iron or pin it out,
as the case may be.

TO IRON LACE.--After the lace has lain for an hour or two in the
cloth, iron it if it be machine-made and if it be Irish Guipure or real
point lace of any sort, pin it out.

Before you begin to iron, hold the lace tight in your left hand by the
footing and with the right hand pull out all the picots, along the edge
of the lace, to an equal length, then lay it out flat upon a board
covered with white flannel and iron it with a moderately hot iron,
pa