ful sheet of water, which the cool breeze rippled like the wavy
undulations of Cleopatra's hair; waters bedecked with cresses and white
water-lilies, with hardy bulbs, which, half unfolding themselves beneath
the sun's warm rays, reveal the golden-colored germs which lie concealed
in their milk-white covering; murmuring waters, on the bosom of which
the black swans majestically floated, and the restless waterfowl, with
their tender broods covered with silken down, darted restlessly in every
direction, in pursuit of the insects among the flags, or the frogs in
their mossy retreats. Perhaps it might have been the enormous hollies,
with their dark and tender green foliage; or the bridges which united
the banks of the canals in their embrace; or the fawns browsing in the
endless avenues of the park; or the numberless birds which hopped about
the gardens, or flew from branch to branch, amid the dense foliage of
the trees.

It might well have been any of these charms, for Hampton Court possessed
them all; and possessed, too, almost forests of white roses, which
climbed and trailed along the lofty trellises, showering down upon the
ground their snowy leaves rich with odorous perfumes. But no; what
Charles II. most loved in Hampton Court was the charming figures who,
when mid-day was passed, flitted to and fro along the broad terraces of
the gardens. Like Louis XIV., he had had their wealth of beauties
painted for his cabinet by one of the great artists of the period--an
artist who well knew the secret of transferring to canvas a ray of light
which had escaped from their beaming eyes laden with love and love's
delights.

The day of our arrival at Hampton Court is almost as clear and bright as
a summer's day in France; the atmosphere is laden with the delicious
perfume of the geraniums, sweet-peas, seringas, and heliotrope, which
are scattered in profusion around. It is past mid-day, and the king,
having dined after his return from hunting, paid a visit to Lady
Castlemaine, the lady who was reputed at the time to hold his heart in
bondage; and, with this proof of his devotion discharged, he was readily
permitted to pursue his infidelities until evening arrived. Love and
amusement ruled the whole court. It was the period when ladies would
seriously interrogate their ruder companions as to their opinion upon a
foot more or less captivating, according to whether it wore a pink or
green silk-stocking; for it was the period when Cha