t is
uninterrupted sleep from eleven at night till seven in the morning. No
other sleep will keep you fresh and well._

HINT NO. 5

_Never go to bed hungry, although you wait till your indigestion is well
over. If you are hungry take some very light refreshment that you will
digest at once and without any difficulty._

HINT NO. 6

_No sleep is thoroughly sound and good unless your face assumes a
perfectly serene expression. To attain this end, do not allow your brain
to work at night, or your mind to be besieged by painful thoughts. Do or
read nothing exciting. Go to bed with pleasant thoughts and a quiet
mind._

I am sure my lady friend is right; for, consulting advice on hygiene in
a book written by a famous physician, I see that this great doctor
advises the following:

Substantial and digestible meals at regular times.
Very little liquids at meals, if any.
Well-aired rooms and cool bedrooms.
Plenty of fresh air and cold water.
Warm but light clothing.
Eight hours of uninterrupted sleep.
A contented mind.
A cheerful disposition.
Indulgence in deeds of generosity and charity.
Plenty of genial occupation.

Such is certainly the secret of health and cheerfulness, and the secret
of beauty, which is the reflection of both.

CHAPTER XXIV

THE DURATION OF BEAUTY

Descartes, Montesquieu, Scribe, Stahl, and many other famous writers of
modern times, not to speak of philosophers of antiquity, have decried
beauty, and warned mankind against its illusions, and especially its
short duration, without succeeding, I must say, in disgusting the world
out of it. True, beauty does not last for ever; but who would think of
singing the praises of ugliness because it does last? And, for that
matter, I am of opinion that beauty does last. I have known men quite
handsome at sixty, and women quite beautiful at the same age. And even
if it did not last, what of that? Are we not to admire the sun because
it is followed by night and obscurity? Are we to despise spring because
it is followed by winter one day?

Wise parents say to young men: 'Be sure you do not marry a woman for the
sake of her beauty. Marry a woman for her lasting qualities, not for
such an ephemeral one as beauty.' Upon my word, to hear some people
talk, you would imagine that the beauty of a woman is a thing that lasts
a year at most. The beauty of a happy woman who loves and is loved
lasts thirty years at least, and the bea