"Yes, that's a good idea. We might pick up some odd chairs there. That's a good idea," said Julia. "Well, then, Maudie, if we have those two big lounge chairs and those two little occasional chairs, that ought to do us very well." "Will you have them cushioned, madam?" "Cushioned? Of course we ought to have them cushioned. Is there much difference in the price?" "Oh, no, madam, not very much. Cushions in a pretty cretonne are quite inexpensive." So eventually, without any reference either to the carpet or the wall-paper, or the chintz curtains and covers, they chose a pretty cretonne of a nice salmon-pink shade. And then they went to the second-hand department and looked out two or three occasional chairs, which were in reality the most sensible purchases that they made. I wish I could adequately paint the scene the following morning, when the van conveying all the purchases, with the exception of the blinds and the chairs, which had still to be cushioned, drew up at the door of Ye Dene. First of all came the carpet, which was promptly laid down and tacked into position. "It clashes with everything," said Maudie, quite tragically. "I don't think it does. It goes quite well with that blue in the wall-paper. I carried the color in my eye," said Julia. "And, after all, it won't show much. There's a lot to go on it." And true enough, compared with the other things, the carpet was absolutely inoffensive. "You would like the over-mantel put up, lady?" said the workman who laid the carpet. "Yes, I think so." "You wouldn't like to have it enameled first?" "No, I think we'll keep it as it is," Julia replied. "Don't you think so, Maudie?" "Oh yes," said Maudie, in a voice of complete despair, "keep it as it is." Honestly, I do not know how to describe this room, the room that had started so well. With a few articles of real Louis Quinze furniture to give it a tone, and the rest decently shrouded in the exquisite chintz which the girls had chosen, the room might have been one whose equal was not to be found in the length and breadth of the Park. As it was, it ended by having the air of a bazaar stall, put together by somebody who did not properly understand the business. "There, that looks awfully nice and cosy behind the couch," said Julia, eyeing with much satisfaction the three-fold screen, which was of a vivid scarlet embroidered in garish colors. "At least it will do when the couch gets its pretty new frock on." "And what are you going to do with this?" asked Maudie, holding up a mass of bright-colored beads and string depending from a lath. "I thought we would hang it over that window." "But you want them over all the windows." "Well, do you know I really don't know what we did have that for. Look here, we've gone on the conventional line in this room, let's start and have something that's not at all conventional. We'll hang it on one side of the bay window--yes, just up there."