Page:A short history of social life in England.djvu/130

110 down-trodden and miserable, the heads of many great houses in England hurled themselves into a conflict, known as the Wars of the Roses, from which they never again rose to their ancient pride and splendour. While they fought, merchants and artisans, tradesmen and small landowners quietly strengthened their position, developed the industries of the country, accumulated wealth, and ushered in that new social condition that made England what she was in the Victorian era—the greatest commercial country in the world. The weary contest with France at an end, the acquirement of wealth by the middle classes tended to the comfort and improvement of the home. Beside the castle and manor-house a number of houses sprang up in town and country—houses with the addition of court and garden, with a second story containing several bedrooms instead of one, a withdrawing-room to ensure more privacy, and a parlour (parlering or speaking room) to obviate the necessity of receiving guests in the bedroom. This parlour was better furnished than the hall, which still remained somewhat bare with its plain wooden benches and long dining-table, though even here luxury was creeping in and covering the benches with cushions of damask