added, as though compliance were, on
the whole, less trouble than a second refusal. She took a white shawl
which was lying on a chair, made a veil for her head of one corner,
while the rest of its fleecy length fell over her dark dress. They left
the room and went down the outside stairway to the street below.

It was called a street, and had even a name--Pacheco; but in reality it
was the open shore.

"It has such an odd effect to me, all this low-lying country on a level
with the water," said Margaret; "the whole land is like a sea-beach, a
sea-beach with trees growing on it."

"Do you like it? or do you think it ugly?"

"I think it very beautiful--in its own way."

"I will take you to the Benito," said Winthrop.

At the end of Pacheco lane they passed under an old stone archway into
the plaza. This little pleasure-ground was shaded by orange-trees, which
formed a thick grove; paths ran irregularly through the grove, and there
were stone benches here and there. On the north side the gray-white
facade of Our Lady of the Angels rose above the trees, conferring
architectural dignity upon the town. The main building was low and
rather dilapidated, but the front was felt to be impressive, it elevated
itself with candid majesty three stories above the roof, quite
undisturbed by a thinness of aspect in profile; the first story bore
upon its face an old clock and sun-dial, the second, which was narrower,
was punctured by three arches, each containing a bell, and the third
under the apex had also an aperture, through which the small bell
hanging there should have swung itself picturesquely to and fro, far out
against the blue; as a matter of fact, however, none of the bells were
rung, they were struck ignominiously from behind by a man with a hammer.
The point of the apex was surmounted by a broken globe and a cross.

The uncertain Gothic of St. Philip and St. James' came next, much lower
as to height, much younger as to age. But the glory of St. Philip and
St. James' lay not in its height, it lay in the flying buttresses of
which it had no less than eight, four on each side. These flying
buttresses were of course a great feature, they showed how much
imagination the architect had had; for they did not support the roof,
nor anything else, they appeared indeed to have some difficulty in
supporting themselves, so that it was always more or less of a question
as to whether, in a northerly gale, they might not take to flyi