OUR COUNTRY LIFE 



our former blindness!), in the middle of a large, rather 

 awkward basin stands this lovely "tazza" brimming 

 with water, a constant libation to the memory of the 

 great Emperor General. 



Could we have it copied? Nothing easier. So a 

 duplicate was made in the beautiful travertine stone 

 which cuts like cheese and hardens as the years go by, 

 growing darker under the action of the water, until 

 early it has the aspect of age. With what impatience 

 we awaited its coming, with what glee we greeted its 

 arrival, and with what satisfaction we installed it above 

 the shallow basin! That part of the garden, at least, 

 is permanent, through all its variations the fountain 

 has preserved its charm. 



The floral border about it, too, Has never caused us 

 any misgivings. Tulips in the springtime are a blaze 

 of color; mixed tulips, crimson, orange, and dark pur 

 ple, cast fantastic reflections upon the rippling water. 

 After they have passed, rose geraniums fill the narrow 

 space to overflowing, stretching above the edge of the 

 basin and affording cool shadows in which the goldfish 



66 



