Another turn, and he caught his first glimpse
of a chimney; another--and the summit of a gable showed above the
trees. The sun, which had been hitherto obscured, now came out, and
suddenly--as if by the hand of magic--the whole scene was a brilliant
blaze of colour. He had arrived at the end of the avenue, where the
path forked; one branch turning sharply round in the direction of a
side entrance to the house, whilst the other led with a gentle
curvature to the front.
Facing the building was a broad expanse of velvety turf, relieved
occasionally, here and there, by such showy shrubs as the hydrangea,
rhododendron, or lilac; but more frequently, and at closer intervals,
by clumps of geraniums, or roses--roses of every variety. There was
nothing pretentious in the garden, any more than there was in the
adjoining edifice. Its unusually pleasing effect lay altogether in its
artistic arrangement; and one could hardly help imagining that the
whole scene had, in reality, been called into existence by the brush
of some eminent landscape painter.
The cottage itself was constructed of old-fashioned Dutch
shingles--broad and with rounded corners--and painted a dull grey; a
tint which, when contrasted with the vivid green of the tulip trees
that overshadowed the entrance to the house, and reared themselves
high above it on either side, afforded an artistic happiness perfectly
intoxicating to its present visitor.
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