Hou se and Garden 
A ROND POINT IN THE WOOD 
shrubbery of laurels and roses, lemon-trees 
and aloes, briars and weeds, creeping and 
trailing and winding and blooming in inex¬ 
tricable confusion round an old fountain. A 
tenantless aviary, 
also smothered in 
creepers completes 
the solitude of this 
uncared-for corner, 
neglect to be ac¬ 
counted for by the 
absence of the own¬ 
ers, whose return, 
doubtless, will be 
preceded by much 
clipping and shear¬ 
ing, hoeing and 
digging, after which 
the little garden 
will regain its con¬ 
ventional tidiness. 
Some of the finest 
ilexes in Italy grew 
once upon a time on 
this very spot, but 
were unfortunately 
cut down by a pre¬ 
vious owner to carry 
out some so-called 
improvements. They formed the vanguard 
of the ilex wood which covers the hill to the 
north of the house, one of the chief beauties 
of Torre a Cona. This wood has been laid 
out in formal walks, 
the central of which 
runs in a straight 
line away from the 
house, from the bot¬ 
tom to the top of 
the hill. From it 
other roads diverge 
symmetrically to the 
right and left, re¬ 
turning sharply to 
meet again at rond 
points on the way 
up. Statues by the 
same artist as those 
in the cypress ave¬ 
nue are placed at 
regular intervals, 
and the stone seats 
are ornamented by 
pedestals and busts 
from his hand. His 
statuary, in fact, 
abounds every¬ 
where, all, alas! in 
A BEND OF THE ROAD 
I49 
