A ROYAL OPENING.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16471, 14 March 1919, Page 8

A ROYAL OPENING.

A SEW HOUSE. A DELIGHTFUL HOME OF REPOSE. Everyone has heard of people who "row so l'ond of institutional life—in hospital, camp, or gaol—that they refuse to return to a workaday existence. A curious example of this came before tho writer's notice to-day. Every morning for the last week he has had to vifit the Hospital, and has taken the pleasant walk under the willows. Every morning, at precisely the same spot, he has met a middle-aged farmer. To-day the farmer fepoke. "See that balcony," he said, pointing to the Royal Hotel. "It brought me back to life during the epidemic, and I never visit town without wandering along here and looking gratefully at it." From enquiries made subsequently, it seems that the farmer's peculiarity is not singular. Not one, but a dozen people, have called at the Royal Hotel during the last fow dayg, asking when they may renew their acquaintance with it as guests. Some have been guests before, and some had, first realised its pleasantness when convrJoscinec from the 'flu. On one and all it had left such an'lmpression of cheeriness and sunny repose that nothing would satisfy them but to get back again there to live. Well, tho proprietor, Mr McDonald, has relented at last From the floor to the roof, from the kitchen to the beautiful drawing-room, the place has been washed, scraped, disinfected, and redecorated. Not an inch of its former paint, not a square foot of last year's plaster or paper remains anywhere at all. On the 28th day of February the District Health Officer (Dr. Herbert Chesson) certified that the building was not only "renovated, redecorated, and disinfected,'' but had been made absolutely "free from auy possibility of carrying or retaining the infection of influenza." Yet it is only now, when evory room has been made to satisfy the aesthetic eye of his most fastidious daughter, that Mr McDonald is prepared again to have a full house. The hall, which was pleasant enough before, .is a delight now, whether you look at the attractive carpet or the rich cream walk. The dining-room tempts you to linger in it, whether you gaze at _the roale sea-green walls, at the 12 solid tables or at the liigh-backed oak art-chairs. The bedrooms, single and double alike, with their art-papers and handsome mirror-frented wardrobes, light, air, and sunshine, are as far removed as possible from mere temporary sleeping places. Those rooms, ©specially—and there are several of them— that open on to the balcony, could not be surpassed for cheerfulness in Christchurch. It may bo mentioned, too, that there are detached sitting-rooms rear seme of tlio bedrooms for those who want private apartments. But to men, at least, the most allnring room in the whole building is the blue and ?ed smoking parlour. Eight yards long by seven wide, its cool walls and luxurious loungos make smoking almost a debauch. When guests tire of smoking, too, they have the billiardroom on one hand, and a large and beautiful writing-room on tho other. Fortunately, the drawing-room is so delightful that however long the gentlemen 6taTT on the ground-floor, the ladies will not miss them. If there is a more cheerful room in Christchurch than this, with its shadow tissue upholstered settees and lounges, its dainty muslin curtains, and door swinging wide on to a 50ft balcony, it must be too good for anyone to live in in such hard and anxious times.

And, of course, the feature of the whole louse is the absolute quietness and suggestion of home. Even the wise old spaniel, who can do almost everything "out talk, understands perfectly that turbulence is not in order. 92