Morning journal and courier., 1888-12-31
William RIack,s Home

From 8 well informed correspondent now in England are received some new glimpses of the home life and surroundings of William Black. As all the world knows, MT. Black
 spends the best part of the year in his charm ing house at Brighton. His house in Preston Place is an ideal stablishment-comforta
 and quiet and best suited to it's occupant. A plain, substantial building, furnished to its smallest detail under the eyes of MT. and Mrs. Black, decorated after their own ideas with many rich hangings, rare Oriental rugs,
 bits of pottery and bric brac representing travel in many lands and uuder many unu- sual circumstances, it would delight the soul of any of his tens of thousands of readers to take brief view of this beautiful home. As you enter you notice that the hall is bluish gray in itS tone of coloring, the woodwork of the stairs leading up from it are deep red. The rooms OH the first floor are all quietly furnished but each showing an individuality of it's own, the dining room being especially interesting. The walls of this favorite room are of deep green, with dado of mating "a bold, but it must be admitted 8 highly successful treatment. How it is ever kept so neat aud unharmed, with healthy children in the house, is a question which only Mrs. Black can give an answer. The pictures on the walls are interesting and varied. The bric-a brae is of an odd character and is partly made up of spirit bottles with various histories. On the sideboard is whiskey jar which belonged to the brother-in.law of Rob Roy. Perhaps your readers will remember who the famous outlaws brother-in-law was, but that matters little to Black. The jar is connected with one of his heroes and that is enough. Then there are other quaint bot- \ ties of many shapes and from many lands, and famous tea set which came from Kings I bury house, Isle of Skye, and the tradition ! is that once Charles Edward ate from it. In | the drawing room there are many interesting pictures again, some of them depicting | scenes in the authors novels. It is home- I like apartment up few steps from the hall~ | way. A miniature conservatory is in the | bay window, the walls are deep tone of 1 primrose with dado of Indian mattings f again set in ebony. It IS beautiful room, showing not only good taste, but great care | in the using of it; there are books and pa- 1 pers and magazines on the tables, several of | the latter being American, and small book l case near st hand contains tine original ones | of Mir. Blacks works neatly bound. From ! the printers point of view Mir. Blacks works are faultless; his manuscript is like print in l it's distinctness and firmnesa. In looking 1 oyer these pages one sees that in putting his | words it was once for all, and being put to 1 paper they remained unmolested. The wri- 1 ting room at the top of the house has been ! too often written of to need further descrip- ! tion. It is arranged SO that the author may | have perfect quiet, and so accustomed has he become to this absolute silence that even the | breathing of a second person in the room
 makes it impossible for him to write. It is
 of course Mr. Blacks duty to prevent his be- | ing dieturAed when at work, and fortunately
 l being able to select his own time, he leaves
 l the months of May, June, July, August and 1 September uatrousled by thoughts of books
 and publishers.