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everybody in a certain true sense. The American hotel of every class,
has about it a generous air of freedom for all, which is most
remarkable.

We were independent of the place in our own well-appointed car, and yet
how freely all was at our bestowal; the corridors, the music, the
reading and reception rooms, and all the magic perfection of the
gardens. All was free as air, and we could wander at will, by the
lovely lake, or in the charming gardens, or in the splendid hotel,
without let or hindrance.

Here is a place where one might enjoy a thorough good rest, lapped in
soft airs, close to the throbbing bosom of mother earth, within sight
and sound of the sea, and housed in a hostelry which on every side
speaks of comfort and refinement. There is no gaud or glitter, but ever
the suggestion of home and all that home means.

On one of our days there we took the eighteen-mile drive which I have
incidentally mentioned above. It brought us through the old town of
Monterey, a little sleepy place, with many relics yet in it, of the
days of '49. Houses still remain, of which the bricks, or iron plates,
used in their construction, were brought from Liverpool or Australia,
or other points, when upon the shores of Monterey the fierce tide of
adventure dashed high, made eager for effort by the thirst for gold.

During our stay at Monterey we--that is, some of us--passed hours on
hours strolling on the sands, and reclining in utter abandon on the
shore. It was, to the full, the unutterable delight of an entirely
irresponsible existence, which took no thought of time, not even of its
flight, and luxuriated in the clear, pure air, the dashing breakers at
our feet, and the blue heavens above.

There was little of minute attraction upon the beach. It seemed as if
all was on too huge a scale for mere minor attractions. There were no
rocks to sit upon, but a whale's huge skull, half buried in the sand,
made a good enough seat, and debris of that colossal character was all
about us.

But it mattered not. The very place itself, and the great Pacific,
stretching off westward to the Orient, gave scope enough for the wings
of our imagination, and we had present pleasure also, as we lay, in
complete idleness, prone upon the warm sands.

The declining sun, however, warned us to retrace our steps once more to
the "Lucania," where all the pleasures of home awaited us, and the
varied experience of our day gave us conversation until bedt