The circular garden led to a long garden,
where the gardener's shears had scarcely been, unless now and then, when
he cut a bough of blossom for his beloved. A few tall trees shaded it,
and round bushes with wax-like flowers mobbed their heads together in
a row. A garden smoothly laid with turf, divided by thick hedges, with
raised beds of bright flowers, such as we keep within walls in England,
would have been out of place upon the side of this bare hill. There
was no ugliness to shut out, and the villa looked straight across the
shoulder of a slope, ribbed with olive trees, to the sea.
The indecency of the whole place struck Mrs. Chailey forcibly. There
were no blinds to shut out the sun, nor was there any furniture to speak
of for the sun to spoil. Standing in the bare stone hall, and surveying
a staircase of superb breadth, but cracked and carpetless, she further
ventured the opinion that there were rats, as large as terriers at
home, and that if one put one's foot down with any force one would come
through the floor. As for hot water--at this point her investigations
left her speechless.
"Poor creature!" she murmured to the sallow Spanish servant-girl who
came out with the pigs and hens to receive them, "no wonder you
hardly look like a human being!" Maria accepted the compliment with
an exquisite Spanish grace. In Chailey's opinion they would have done
better to stay on board an English ship, but none knew better than she
that her duty commanded her to stay.
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