The Mansion Comprised Entrance-Hall, Dining-Room, Drawing-Roomn,
Lady's Boudoir, Library, Breakfast-Room, Bed-Room And
Dressing-Room (With The Great Advantage Of Their Combination In
One Circular Room Fourteen Feet In Diameter).
The architecture
was of an ancient style, from the original design of a pill-box
surmounted by a candle extinguisher.
Thus might my estate have been described by an English estate
agent and auctioneer, with a better foundation of fact than many
newspaper advertisements.
I purchased two additional huts, one of which was erected at the
back (if a circle has a back) of our mansion, as the kitchen,
while the other at a greater distance formed the "servants'
hall." We all worked hard for several days in beautifying our
house and grounds. In the lovely short grass that resembled green
velvet, we cut walks to the edge of a declivity, and surrounded
the house with a path of snow-white sand, resembling coarsely
pounded sugar; this we obtained from some decomposed sandstone
rock which crumbled upon the slightest pressure. We collected
curiously-shaped blocks of rock, and masses of fossil wood that
were imbedded in the sandstone; these we formed into borders for
our walks, and opposite to our front door (there was no back
door) we arranged a half-circle or "carriage-drive," of white
sand, to the extreme edge of the declivity, which we bordered
with large rocks; one of which I believe may remain to this day,
as I carried it to the spot to form a seat, and my vanity was
touched by the fact that it required two Arabs to raise it from
the ground.
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