f eucalyptus which continued to the
foot of the mountains. It had an overrun little garden in front,
separated from the fields by a riotous hedge of sweetbriar. It had a few
orange, and lemon, and peach trees on its west side, the survivors of
what had once been intended for an orchard, and a line of pepper trees
on the other, between it and the road. Neglected roses and a huge
wistaria clambered over its dilapidated face. Somebody had once planted
syringas, and snowballs, and lilacs along the inside of the line of
pepper trees, and they had grown extravagantly and were an impenetrable
screen, even without the sweeping pepper trees from the road.

It hadn't been lived in for years, and it was well on in decay, being
made of wood, but the situation was perfect for The Open Arms. Every
motorist coming up that road would see the signboard outside the pepper
trees, and would certainly want to stop at the neat little gate, and
pass through the flowery tunnel that would be cut through the syringas,
and see what was inside. Other houses were offered of a far higher
class, for this one had never been lived in by gentry, said the
house-agent endeavouring to put them off a thing so broken down. A
farmer had had it years back, he told them, and instead of confining
himself to drinking the milk from his own cows, which was the only
appropriate drink for a farmer the agent maintained--he was the
president of the local Anti-Vice-In-All-Its-Forms League--he put his
money as he earned it into gin, and the gin into himself, and so after a
bit was done for.

The other houses the agent pressed on them were superior in every way
except situation; but situation being the first consideration, Mr. Twist
agreed with the twins, who had fallen in love with the neglected little
house whose shabbiness was being so industriously hidden by roses, that
this was the place, and a week later it and its garden had been
bought--Mr. Twist didn't tell the twins he had bought it, in order to
avoid argument, but it was manifestly the simple thing to do--and over
and round and through it swarmed workmen all day long, like so many
diligent and determined ants. Also, before the week was out, the
middle-aged lady had been found and engaged, and a cook of gifts in the
matter of cakes. This is the way you do things in America. You decide
what it is that you really want, and you start right away and get it.
"And everything so cheap too!" exclaimed the twins gleeful