might be helpful for mere imitation, but those I have given have each
one illustrated--more or less distinctly--the principle of colour as
affecting or being affected by light.

I have not thought it necessary to give examples of rooms with eastern
or western exposures, because in such rooms one is free to consult
one's own personal preferences as to colour, being limited only by the
general rules which govern all colour decoration.

I have not spoken of pictures or paintings as accessories of interior
decoration, because while their influence upon the character and degree
of beauty in the house is greater than all other things put together,
their selection and use are so purely personal as not to call for remark
or advice. Any one who loves pictures well enough to buy them, can
hardly help placing them where they not only are at their best, but
where they will also have the greatest influence.

A house where pictures predominate will need little else that comes
under the head of decoration. It is a pity that few houses have this
advantage, but fortunately it is quite possible to give a picture
quality to every interior. This can often be done by following the lead
of some accidental effect which is in itself picturesque. The placing a
jar of pottery or metal near or against a piece of drapery which repeats
its colour and heightens the lustre of its substance is a small detail,
but one which gives pleasure out of all proportion to its importance.
The half accidental draping of a curtain, the bringing together of
shapes and colours in insignificant things, may give a character which
is lastingly pleasing both to inmates and casual visitors.

Of course this is largely a matter of personal gift. One person may make
a picturesque use of colour and material, which in the hands of another
will be perhaps without fault, but equally without charm. Instances of
this kind come constantly within our notice, although we are not always
able to give the exact reasons for success or failure. We only know that
we feel the charm of one instance and are indifferent to, or totally
unimpressed by, the other.

It is by no means an unimportant thing to create a beautiful and
picturesque interior. There is no influence so potent upon life as
harmonious surroundings, and to create and possess a home which is
harmonious in a simple and inexpensive way is the privilege of all but
the wretchedly poor. In proportion also as these surroundings