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The House in Good Taste
·
Elsie De Wolfe
18
When
we
found
this
old
house,
so
many
years
ago,
we
were
very
young,
and
it
is
amusing
now
to
think
of
its
evolution.
We
had
so
many
dreams,
so
many
theories,
and
we
tried
them
all
out
on
the
old
house.
And
like
a
patient,
well-bred
maiden
aunt,
the
old
house
always
accepted
our
changes
most
placidly.
There
never
was
such
a
house!
You
could
do
anything
to
it,
because,
fundamentally,
it
was
good.
Its
wall
spaces
were
inviting,
its
windows
were
made
for
framing
pleasant
things.
When
we
moved
there
we
had
a
broad
sweep
of
view:
I
can
remember
seeing
the
river
from
our
dining-room.
Now
the
city
has
grown
up
around
the
old
house
and
jostled
it
rudely,
and
shut
out
much
of
its
sunshine.
There
is
a
joy
in
the
opportunity
of
creating
a
beautiful
interior
for
a
new
and
up-to-date
house,
but
best
of
all
is
the
joy
of
furnishing
an
old
house
like
this
one.
It
is
like
reviving
an
old
garden.
It
may
not
be
just
your
idea
of
a
garden
to
begin
with,
but
as
you
study
it
and
deck
its
barren
spaces
with
masses
of
color,
and
fit
a
sundial
into
the
spot
that
so
needs
it,
and
give
the
sunshine
a
fountain
to
play
with,
you
love
the
old
garden
just
a
little
more
every
time
you
touch
it,
until
it
becomes
to
you
the
most
beautiful
garden
in
all
the
world.
Gardens
and
houses
are
such
whimsical
things!
This
old
house
of
ours
had
been
so
long
mistreated
that
it
was
fairly
petulant
and
querulous
when
I
began
studying
it.
It
asked
questions
on
every
turn,
and
seemed
surprised
when
they
were
answered.
The
house
was
delightfully
rambling,
with
a
tiny
entrance
hall,
and
narrow
stairs,
and
sudden
up
and
down
steps
from
one
room
to
another
like
the
old,
old
house
one
associates
with
far-away
places
and
old
times.
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