xxiii LETTERS TO MARCO 149 



Elizabethan manor-house at Kelmscott, in 

 which Rossetti formerly lived, and which is 

 now the country abode of W. Morris, I 

 persuaded my wife, though somewhat tired, 

 to walk over there. I had underestimated 

 the distance (some three miles), and was 

 rather hazy about the way, having only 

 reached it before from my boat on the river. 

 We only met one person the whole way, 

 but as he was the postman he was quite 

 sufficient. 



When we got there I was rather sorry 

 to find that the trees and ivy had grown 

 so round the somewhat high garden walls 

 that very little beyond the gables of the 

 house were visible. My wife, more venture- 

 some, tried the garden -door, which was 

 open, and peeped in, and had a glimpse of 

 the old house and quaint garden ; I strolled 

 round to the back part through a sort of 

 farmyard, the place looking quite deserted 

 and silent. I imagined no one was there at 

 the time, when I was suddenly aware of 



