the house, laid out with box borders, constitute the garden. Planted 

 and tended with loving care, the sunny terraces are full of the gayest 

 and sweetest of old-fashioned flowers. Pinks and carnations fringe the 

 terrace walls, snapdragons and foxgloves, sWeet-williams and pansies of 

 richest hue, white Madonna lilies and blushing peonies, stocks and 

 gillyflowers, orange day lilies and pale blue hydrangea fill the beds to 

 overflowing. And adding to these their spicy odours come rosemary, 

 thyme and lavender, myrtle and sweet bay. 



The most charming feature of the little garden, however, is the 

 arcade of clipped box, with its quaint finials, that closes in the forecourt 

 and gives such a delightful old-world air to the place. What enchanting 

 peeps of distant lake and misty mountain are to be had through the 

 arched openings, and between the wild sprays of pink and white rose, 

 that, not content with concealing from view one of the great bosses, 

 wander away far over arch and pergola^ only to reappear in the most 

 unexpected manner ! 



This is, so far as I am aware, the only example of topiary work, on 

 an extensive scale, upon the Italian lakes ; yet, shortly before my visit, " 

 some strange being, deficient in both humour and artistic sense, suggested 

 to the proprietor that he should remove this " eyesore " and replace it 

 with a decent iron railing and some shrubs ! 



From this forecourt descend long and gently sloping steps, that 

 wander hither and thither upon the steep hill-side, always taking the 

 easiest way ; past terrace walls hung with ferns and wild flowers, and 

 pausing awhile beneath vine pergole and chestnut copses, before finally 

 reaching the margin of the lake. These pleasant ways were made by 

 people who took life in leisurely fashion, people who had both time and 

 patience to bestow upon the training of the old box-trees that fringe 

 their garden terrace. 



