House and Garden 
And thatwhich 
he wished was 
done, and as 
he left them 
they have re¬ 
mained. All 
the change they 
know is that 
of slow decay. 
The trees have 
grown u n - 
watched totheir 
present height. 
The lichen has 
crept thicker 
on the statues, 
which, grandly impassive to what may hap¬ 
pen to them, watch the world from their 
pedestals and scorn to think that aught but 
Time shall meddle with them and the garden 
they live in. 
This may sound fanciful, but it is impos¬ 
sible to wander about the solitude of these 
avenues without submitting to the influence 
of the place. 
A fine row of cypresses, even in height 
and all healthy, strong trees, line one 
side of the road 
that leads 
towards the 
house. These 
are probably 
not more than 
sixty to seven¬ 
ty years old, 
lor their 
trunks rise 
straight and 
single. The 
cypresses of 
the eighteenth 
century are 
generally 
much wider at their base and divided into 
many twisted stems ; this from their having 
been kept clipped for many years. When 
the fashion changed, they were allowed to 
grow tall. 
On the other side of the road there is a 
dense ilex hedge quite fifteen feet high, against 
which, wherever the roads meet or whenever 
they form an angle, there are statues or pi¬ 
lasters ; and the effect against the dark green 
is very beautiful. 
THE TANK AND THE GROTESQUE RIVER GOD 
THE VIEW-POINT OVERLOOKING THE VALLEY OF THE ARNO 
T 77 
