Beautiful Rienzi; or, The secret vendetta — page 152: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

BEAUTIFUL RIENZI. 147 den bluff, where fir-trees lined either side of the road, and the broad, lazy waves of the Atlantic rolled in upon the yel- low sand. ‘*' This is Silverlea.” | I saw a white cottage with three pointed gables, a piazza running along oneside and upheld by pillars of Corinthian simplicity, a veranda on top of the plazza, with a delicate tracery of carved wood by way of parapet, and many a quaint panel of Gothic ornament interspersed. A pointed bay-window in front, with Gothic pendants, imitated by the long, narrow windows down the sides, which looked out on all sides to green retreats and shady terraces. A more delightfully incomprehensible, romantic little villa could scarcely be conceived; it looked at one point like a Spanish casino, with its verdant jalousies and trellised balconies, and I almost listened for the lute of the trouba- dour, and looked for the lovely Andalusian to appear, after her seclusion from the scorching sobano, to drop her bou- quet of orange blossoms into the bosom of her serenader. “¢QOh, father!” I exclaimed, ‘‘ take this paradise.” “You will find it very nicely furnished,” said Mr. Fern- ley, knocking smartly at the door. ‘* Mr. Granville was a gentleman of taste, though a bachelor, and his brother not caring for these things, left the furniture just as it was for the use of the tenants. The housekeeper, who is a fixture here, keeps everything in exact order, as you will see, and is as peaceable a woman as ever breathed.” At this moment the door was opened by an old woman in a white muslin cap and stiff gown, who dropped a low cour- tesy to Mr. Fernley and another to us, ‘How de do, Mrs. Haller? Some visitors Pve brought over to see the house; all the way from the city, too. The housekeeper, sir, I was telling you about.” ‘‘Glad to see you, Mrs. Haller,” said my father, walking in. ‘*I think we shall be old friends pretty soon. Nice little place, eh, Maud?” We all marched successively into the various rooms, which were certainly furnished very prettily and tastefully, and kept in admirable order by the housekeeper. We wandered about until the silver moonbeams were steal- ing through the moveless trees; and to my unbounded de- light my father decided to rent Silverlea for the summer. CORNUCG OOO S (©)