A GARDEN IN VENICE 



by their descendants. At four feet down the 

 earth was moist. A little more and it drained 

 in so quickly at high tide, although the site was 

 fifty yards inland, that a pump had to be kept at 

 work to dry the excavation. Arrived four or 

 five inches below the required six feet the 

 bottom was levelled, then covered with larch 

 boards, and on these was laid in cement a course 

 or two of bricks. The end and side walls when 

 built up on this foundation to eight or ten inches 

 above the level of the garden, were coped with 

 red Verona marble. The vasca so made received 

 the rainfall of many paths and gave us much 

 water. It got filled too with water-lilies and 

 goldfish ; and with lemon trees in Venetian vases 

 all around, with the rose borders, bamboos, and 

 palms, the vasca plot is certainly a success. 



But Venice is a thirsty place, and the supply 

 was again insufficient. The vasca had in dry 

 seasons to be filled with water brought in barges 

 from the Brenta, and this was not only expensive 

 and troublesome, but disgusted one at times when 

 one's money had been spent on the barge-load 

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