_July 7th._--Our new house was nearly opposite the theatre, which on a
Sunday, particularly, was crowded with people; every Sunday evening a
number of drunken people passed our windows; one Sunday we counted six
close together.[36] Our servants went one day to the play, but it was
so dirty that it made them quite sick. Near our house was a priests'
school; we used to hear the boys singing a great part of the day and
sometimes in the night. Behind our house there was a small garden with
very little in it. When mamma went to see the house two of the rooms
were carpeted, and everything was very comfortable. Although Monsieur
Grincourt had several days to prepare it, when we came to our new
house the carpets were taken up, the curtains were taken off some of
the beds, and everything was uncomfortable. The fireplaces were full
of every kind of rubbish. There were not enough plates, glasses, etc.
And we were reduced to many curious expedients. The French are very
dilatory about bringing things. We saw they did not intend to give us
back our carpets, as the next day they sent a frotteur[37] to clean the
floors; however, as we had taken the house with a carpet, we told them
to bring it, and we used to send Nannette to scold every day till at
last we got all we wanted. They also brought quilts for the beds, but
they gave great charges that they were to be taken off at night. We
got two tea-kettles which were a most extraordinary shape. The French
make some little things very nicely, and other common things extremely
awkwardly. There was a bath in the house, and the room adjoining it was
remarkably damp; a great many toad-stools grew in the closet; there
was also an ants' nest below the floor. The porter's wife was _much_
younger than the one in our other house; her husband lived at Paris;
she had one son of eleven or twelve, a very rude boy. Different people
lived above us, latterly a Mr. and Mrs. Spurrier. Mr. Spurrier was
determined his French servants should do like English servants; if he
succeeded, I think he did more than any person did before him.