“We crossed a tiny little bridge, over a tiny moat, passed through a tiny and spotlessly clean yard to the back door. The front door of a Dutch house in the country is for ornament only, and not for use, and is rarely opened save to be cleaned and painted afresh. This house was the most minutely clean and unique any of us had ever seen, and was a perfect and rich museum of the wealthier side of Frisian life. In the passage by the house door was a well, and the polish on its mahogany cover was only exceeded by the glisten on the copper bucket, with brass bands, and the shining brass chain which took the place of the ordinary rope. The floor of the hall as well as the doors leading from it looked as if they had only been painted yesterday. “The kitchen, the living-room on the ground floor, the hall, a passage and a staircase were lined with Dutch tiles, those in the passage and dark staircase and corridors being white, or with a pattern or figure of an animal painted on them. At the foot of the stairs were hung several wooden bowls, painted with cupids and flowers in many colours. Climbing up the narrow staircase, we were ushered into the sacred front room, which would rarely be used for any purpose but show. It was the museum of the house, where a collection of antique treasures were preserved in a place which was worthy of them. “The room was so jealously guarded from daylight by drawn inner and outer blinds that we could see nothing distinctly until one shutter was opened, and as we crept about cautiously over the highly polished oaken floor we had an uneasy feeling that we ought to have taken our shoes off, and, in fact, did debate in whispers whether we should do so or not. “Three sides of the room were completely lined with tiles. Up to the height of six feet or so the tiles were adorned with various Biblical subjects, the Dutch conception of which was, in many instances, extremely comical. Above this dado the tiles were plain white, except that a blue bordering went round the oaken beams which supported the roof. On the fourth side was a range of magnificent oak cabinets, with lattice or fretwork doors, through the interstices of which the contents were visible. These consisted of rare old china and antique silver articles of every kind, spoons, teapots, pins, brooches, and even a silver birdcage.