"Hush! The walls of the rooms must be calcimined, painted, frescoed and
papered; they must be dyed in the mortar, finished with leather, with
tiles, with tapestry and with solid wood panels. There must be
blinds--outside blinds, awnings, inside shutters, rolling blinds,
Venetian shades and no blinds at all. There must be wide, low-roofed
piazzas all around the house, so that we can live out of doors in the
summer, and on no account must the sun be excluded from the windows of
the first story by piazza roofs. At least eight patent sanitary
plumbing articles, and as many cooking ranges, are each the only one
safe and fit to be used. The house must be high and low--"

"I'm Jack and you shall be game--"

[Illustration: COUSIN GEORGE'S EXTERIOR.]

"It must be of bricks, wood and stone, separately and in combination;
it must be Queen Anne, Gothic, French, Japanesque and classic American,
and it must be painted all the colors of an autumn landscape."

"Well, there's one comfort," said Jack; "you haven't paid for this
advice, so you won't be obliged to take it in order to save it."

"I should think not, indeed, but that isn't the trouble. These letters
are from my special friends, wise, practical people, who know
everything about building and housekeeping, and they speak from solemn
conviction based on personal experience."

"Moral: When the doctors differ, do as you please."

Three of the letters, reserved for the last on account of their unusual