Note 4 — II.—BIRTH, MARRIAGE AND DEATH.
Reading edition
The ring of the door is bound with a white linen cloth in Holland—See Brand’s Pop. Antiq., vol. 2, p. 72. This appears to have had a superstitious origin quite distinct from the practice into which it has degenerated in England of “muffling” the knocker, so that its use may not disturb the mother and child. ↑