die
happy. His wish was granted," concluded Inness, "and--he died."

"I hope not immediately," I said, laughing.

On our way back, Verney showed us a path leading up the cliff. "Let me
give you a glimpse of a lovely garden," he said. We looked up, and there
it was on the cliff above us, like the hanging gardens of Babylon, green
terraces clothing the bare gray rock with beautiful verdure. Margaret
left the phaeton and went up the winding path with us, Mrs. Trescott and
Mrs. Clary remaining below. The gate of the garden, which bore the
inscription "Salvete Amici," opened upon a long columned walk; from
pillar to pillar over our heads ran climbing vines, and on each side
were ranks of rare and curious plants, the lovely wild flowers of the
country having their place also among the costlier blossoms. "Before you
go farther turn and look at the tower," said Verney. "It has been made
habitable within, but otherwise it is unchanged. It was built either as
a lookout in which to keep watch for the Saracens, or else by the
Saracens themselves when they held the coast."

"By the Sarrasins themselves, of course--always with two r's," said
Janet. "Think of it--a Sarrasin tower! I would rather own it than
anything else in the whole world."

Whereupon Verney, Inness, the Professor, Lloyd, and Baker all wished to
know what she would do with it.

"Do with it?" repeated Janet. "Live in it, of course. I have always had
the greatest desire to live in a tower; even light-houses tempt me."

"I shall tell Dr. Bennet," said Verney, laughing. "This is his garden,
you know."

At the end of the columned walk we went around a curve by a smaller
tower, and descended to a lower path bordered with miniature groves of
hyacinth, whose dense sweetness, mingled with that of heliotrope, filled
the air. Here Margaret seated herself to enjoy the fragrance and
sunshine, while we went onward, coming to a magnificent array of
primulas, rank upon rank, in every shade of delicate and gorgeous
coloring, a pomp of tints against a background of ferns. Below was a
little vine-covered terrace with thick, soft, English grass for its
velvet flooring; here was another paradisiacal little seat, like the one
where we had left Margaret, overlooking the blue sea. On terraces above
were camellias, roses, and numberless other blossoms, mingled with
tropical plants and curious growths of cacti; behind was a lemon grove
rising a little higher; then the background of g