facade of the
villa, and is surmounted by a black iron railing. Vines and flowers that
have flourished and died and flourished again for over a century climb
over the wall and through the graceful railing, and give our home an air
of permanence that is very satisfying. After all, that is the secret of
Europe's fascination for us Americans--the ever-present suggestion of
permanence. We feel that houses and gardens were planned and built for
centuries, not for the passing pleasure of one brief lifetime. We people
them with ghosts that please us, and make histories for them that are
always romantic and full of happiness. The survival of an old house and
its garden through centuries of use and misuse is always an impressive
and dramatic discovery to us: it gives us courage to add our little bit
to the ultimate beauty and history, it gives us excuse to dream of the
fortunate people who will follow us in other centuries, and who will, in
turn, bless us for our part in the remaking of one old house and
garden.

There was much to do! We hardly knew where to begin, the house was in
such wretched condition. The roof was falling in, and the debris of
years was piled high inside, but the walls and the floors were still
very beautiful and as sound as ever, structurally. We had the roof
restored, the debris removed, and the underbrush weeded out of the
garden, and then we were ready to begin the real business of
restoration.

The house is very simply planned. There is a broad hall that runs
straight through it, with dining-room and servants' hall on the right,
and four connecting salons on the left. These salons are charming rooms,
with beautiful panelings and over-doors, and great arches framed in
delicate carvings. First comes the writing-room, then the library, then
the large and small salons. The rooms opening on the back of the house
have long French windows that open directly upon the terrace, where we
have most of our meals. The note of the interior of the house is blue,
and there are masses of blue flowers in the garden. The interior
woodwork is cream, pointed with blue, and there are blues innumerable in
the rugs and curtains and _objets d'art_. There must be a hundred
different shades of blue on this living-floor, I think. We have tried to
restore the rooms to a Louis XV scheme of decoration. The tables and
cabinets are of the fine polished woods of the period. Some of the
chairs are roomy affairs of carved and painted wo