House and Garden 
zling in the brightness of the meridian sun, 
now flowing swiftly by our side from pool to 
pool, enclosed by cool, deep woods, which 
now shadowed vases and statues, and again 
revealed enticing paths, leading away to 
unknown new delights, while in the distance, 
forming a background to the lovely picture, 
stood, silent and serious sentinels over the 
enchanted ground, the wooded peaks of 
Guadarrama. 
This was the gem of the garden, the far- 
famed Cascada, fed from the great reser- 
groups in bronze of sea-horses, children, and 
mythological figures. 
Our genuine enthusiasm here quite rein¬ 
stated us in the favor of our attendant, and 
soothed his spirit, ruffled by our heedlessness 
of bis eloquence; for with a ceremonious wave 
of his enchanter’s wand, he touched some 
unseen and unsuspected source, and again, 
as by magic, new fountains flung their waters 
high in the air. 
He then conducted us past the parterre, 
and through a box-bordered garden, where 
FACADE OF THE PALACE FROM THE CASCADE 
voir high up on the mountainside, which, 
collecting the waters from many springs and 
streams, pours from its lip a vast volume which 
is led, in all ways that can be imagined to 
produce the finest scenic effects, down to the 
garden level. Thence the water is led away 
with delightful irregularity of plan, forming 
in striking contrast with the roaring, tumb¬ 
ling current which had first attracted our 
attention, the quiet, dignified pools of the 
fountains of Neptune, with its lower and 
upper basins, in which are displayed striking 
we first caught sight of the exterior of the 
palace, gay in general effect, but showing 
the disregard of rules which is so common a 
feature of the Spanish architecture, created 
when imperial wealth and power commanded 
the services of the world’s best architects. 
These men, though they brought with them 
great technical knowledge and skill, seemed 
inspired by their unwonted surroundings 
to ever branch out into new forms, often 
charming, but governed by no accepted 
rules. 
111 
