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THE STORY
OF MY HOUSE
Montaigne
EPISTLE DEDICATORY.
A house without woman is a house without a soul.
Turkish Proverb.
THERE is expressed from the grapesthat ripen on the sunny slopesof Aÿ a wine called Fine Fleurd’Aÿ blanc—Fine Flower ofwhite Aÿ—a sparkling, golden, perfumednectar, to sip of which is an exhilaration.
In every ideal home there exists an essencethat likewise diffuses its fragrance—thefine flower of noble womanhood, withoutwhich the house is a habitation, not ahome.
Alone under the ministering care ofwoman may the routine of daily life be relievedand varied, and the course of thehousehold made to flow free from frictionand asperity. Caressed by her gentle touch,order ranges itself, beauty finds a dwelling-place,and peace enters as an abiding guest.Pre-eminently it is woman that idealizes...