ii LETTERS TO MARCO u 



for drying purposes. The windows were very 

 rotten, so much so that I had to put in new 

 ones in every case excepting two. Owing to 

 some ill-advised internal alterations, the floors 

 of the upper rooms in one part had fallen 

 considerably, so that there were those sort of 

 rolling hills and valleys in them that one 

 comes across in old country hotels, and the 

 external walls in parts were bulging out like 

 the sides of an old-fashioned line -of- battle 

 ship. I had some thoughts at one time of 

 pulling the whole down and building a fresh 

 house, but my architect very wisely deterred 

 me, remarking " that any one can build a new 

 house, but nobody an old one " ; so, after a 

 good deal of consideration and planning, the 

 house was very effectually patched up, and, I 

 am happy to say, without in the least losing 

 its old-fashioned look and character. 



There are some fine horse-chestnut trees 

 at the back of the house, that is, if the river 

 side is the proper front, a very fine walnut, 

 and an interesting though not very handsome 



