THE ARBOUR 115 



descend the sixteen steps is a thick mass of Alla- 

 manda Grandiflora and Bignonia; the yellow 

 Allamanda blooming all through the rains with 

 its large open flowers 4 inches in diameter, and the 

 purple Bignonia in the cold weather. At the north- 

 west corner stands a Bauhinia that has rapidly 

 grown to 26 feet in height. It forms an arch 

 across the path with some tall sago palms and 

 white ribbon grass 6 feet high, a most effective 

 grouping to look at from the gate, or the verandah. 

 Continuing along the pond pathway, there are 

 bunches of Canna ; an Allamanda, shrub size, but 

 full of flower ; a white grass, a Quassia ; and the 

 eye now catches the gleam of the water through the 

 leafy shrubs, instead of being stared out of counte- 

 nance by it as before. On the opposite bank are 

 dotted great clumps of another kind of pale green- 

 white grass, with a Marshal Niel in the centre, 

 which have now grown well, though in the glare of 

 the western sun. The south-east corner is broken 

 by an arbour covered with Poivrea Coccinea, which 

 blooms spendidly with long scarlet racemes in the 

 cold weather; along the south bank are again 

 Cannas, red and yellow, more Allamandas, and 



