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We may surely now be allowed to drop this sexual nonsense 
and bring the portraits and the story to the judgment of common 
sense. 
One place for this grotto has been overlooked, a place which 
not only exactly suits the poetical description, but whereon a 
grotto actually and suitably stands to day ; a place which would 
exactly suit the lovers and would be well known to them as being 
so little distant from the damsel’s original parental home. 
Common tradition too tells us that this was the spot. 
At the end of the North Parade in the little “‘ garden” or piece 
of ground now attached to the last house eastward and close to 
the river bank stands a grotto which until lately had a suitable 
drooping willow at its side. The house belonging to this garden 
piece after being vacant for some time and neglected was let as a 
lodging house and was in process of being painted and made 
ready for occupation early in 1900. The willow was there then 
and the grotto clear for examination one day, but by reason of a 
sudden flood was found the next day half under water. Visiting 
the place again later, in the spring time of the year 1900, the little 
piece of river bank or ‘‘ garden” was now in decent order but 
the willow was gone, cut down to give light and clear the view from 
the windows eastward. It was certainly a ragged, “lank,” unpictur- 
esque tree, having been trimmed before in its lower branches, but 
alas being now gone one principal argument or evidence here 
would be gone also if these personal facts were not recorded. As 
already mentioned tradition has made this grotto the historic 
spot and nearly fifty years belief in this tradition has helped now 
as a spur to many searches in likely and unlikely places and 
manuscripts hoping to find some contemporary or nearly 
contemporary mention or record to aid in confirmation. It just 
happened first that a letter of my own came to light, a letter from 
Mr Thomas Benet to Mr Ezra Hunt in which he says—* You 
may see as you cross the North Parade bridge in the garden of 
the house where captain Lye lives a stone summer house or 
