_June 29th._--We went to the _lavoir_ which is at the end of the Avenue
de Sceaux. It is covered at both sides, and the water is between. There
are boxes full of straw placed along for the women to kneel on. They
beat the clothes with wooden things of this shape. When we saw it this
time there were twenty women. One
[Illustration: shape]
good-natured, civil kind of woman took us to see her wash-house,
where she made lie. She told us a great deal about the _lavoir_. A
porter takes charge of it; the _blanchisseuses_ pay three, and the
_bourgeoises_ four sous each time, and so much for line for drying
their things upon. It closes at seven o'clock. The people go to the
porter and say, 'Place my boxes in such a place for so many,' and
then he arranges them accordingly. I took a sketch of the side of the
_lavoir_; the people seemed very much amused at it. One disagreeable
kind of woman called out, 'Mettez moi en peinture, elle n'est pas
gentille, je suis plus gentille qu'elle,' and then she held up her face
to show us how pretty she was.[33] She told us to draw a woman with a
barrow, and she laughed and said, 'Elle est blanchisseuse de torchons.'
[Illustration: LAVOIR]
In France they do the things up _very_ well, but in the washing they
spoil them very much. They put the clothes into some kind of liquid
which brings the colour out, and they beat them almost into holes. A
gown of the servants' was quite spoiled. Our washerwoman had a little
girl with green bead baskets in her ears.