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MY HOUSE AND GARDEN 21 



door. His buggy was drawn up before it, the syce 

 standing at the horse's head. I remained outside in 

 the porch for a few minutes till my friend had mounted 

 his buggy and driven off. Then I re-entered the house. 



In contrast to the glare without, the house within 

 appeared to me almost dark. I could see only just 

 sufficiently to make my way to the room where I had 

 been previously sitting. The jilmils of this room were 

 all closed. It appeared to me so absolutely dark that 

 I stood for a short time at the door, lest I might fall 

 over some obstacle. As I thus stood, I appeared to 

 see before me, as clearly as if I was actually beholding 

 them, only all black, the outlines of the horse, the 

 buggy, and the syce, just as I had looked at them from 

 the porch. Now at least three or four minutes had 

 passed since I had re-entered the house. How intense 

 must have been the sunlight that the picture it had 

 •impressed on the retina of my eyes should have con- 

 tinued for all that time ! 



The intensity of the sunlight may be judged of also 

 by its effect on the roses. At early morning the leaves 

 of the flowers are a deep red ; by noon they have 

 faded to a pink ; by evening they are almost white. 

 Whether they renew their colouring during the night 

 I do not remember. I rather think by the next day 

 they have entirely faded. I should mention that the 

 roses I speak of are the common native roses, the ones 

 from which the rosewater and otto of roses are made. 



Neither the heat nor the glare, however, has the 

 least effect in diminishing the activity of the ants. 

 Those that frequent the verandahs run all day about 



