House and Garden 
they have not ceased to exist. I he charm 
of the situation of San Ildefonso promises 
to be permanent. On the northern slope 
of the great chain of mountains, which form 
the backbone of Spain, which arrests and 
discharges the clouds borne inland from the 
Atlantic, there would seem to be an assured 
supply of the moisture so rarely found else¬ 
where in the kingdom, and which gives such 
wonderful freshness to this oasis in a dry and 
burning land. 
I hese musings over the past history of San 
Ildefonso, tracing on the spot its develop¬ 
ment from monastery and grange to royal 
palace and summer garden, repeating what 
so often occurred in Spanish history, that 
the spots which were selected by the good 
taste and practical wisdom of the monks 
later found favor in the eyes of the monarchs 
and were appropriated by them for royal 
abodes, brought us to the close of a glorious 
May day, and we began to cast about for a 
resting place. At the very door of the palace 
we found an excellent hotel where we secured 
quarters. In an evening’s conversation with the 
landlord, we discovered that a beautiful wild 
mountain road, practicable only in the sum¬ 
mer, led from La Granja over the top of the 
mountain range into the valley of the Escorial, 
but it took some persuasion to convince him 
that we were earnest in our purpose to make 
an early morning start that we might view its 
wild scenery in the freshness of the young day. 
La Granja is stdl the favorite summer 
palace of Spanish royalty. The apartments 
of the palace are light, airy and agreeable, 
without being oppressively magnificent. Dur¬ 
ing the stay of the royal family the village 
assumes its gayest air, the fountains play, 
and the whole tone of the surrounding region 
is one of life and merriment. 
Shortly after sunrise next morning we bade 
farewell to the place which had given us such 
keen delight for a day, and with a four-mule 
team, guided by a driver on the front seat of 
our mountain carriage, and controlled by a 
rider on each of the two near mules, we 
crossed the sierra by a road of marvellous 
excellence, constructed by the Bourbon kings 
of Spain with reckless disregard of expense, 
to facilitate the transfer of the court between 
the Escorial and the gardens of Ea Granja. 
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