house, beyond which could be caught a glimpse of
what appeared to be a kind of courtyard, with more lawns and flower
beds, and a handsome fountain in the centre. The hall was adorned with
beautiful flowering plants in large tubs, and furnished with an abundant
supply of settees and luxuriously-cushioned basket chairs, and seemed to
be used as a kind of lounging place, for which it was eminently adapted,
since the two open doors caused a constant draught of comparatively cool
air through the apartment. There were a few good pictures on the walls,
as well as a gun-rack, well fitted with sporting guns and rifles; and a
hatstand which, in addition to its legitimate use, formed a convenient
support for sundry riding-whips and pairs of spurs. Two passages,
leading to right and left out of this hall, gave access, as Jack
subsequently discovered, to the rooms located at the extremities of the
building.

"Now, Jack, old chap," said Carlos, linking his arm in that of his
friend, after a moment's murmured conversation with his mother, "let me
take you to your room. You will be glad to have a wash and brush-up
after our dusty journey; and by the time that you are ready, second
breakfast will be served." And, so saying, he conducted Singleton out
through the rear door of the hall into the back veranda, which, as Jack
now saw, ran not only along the entire rear face of the main building
but also along the face of two wings which projected therefrom at right
angles, one at each end of the house. These wings, it appeared,
provided the sleeping accommodation, bathrooms, lavatories, and so on,
of the establishment; beyond which again were the kitchen and other
domestic offices, and the coach-house and stables, with the lawn,
fountain, and flower beds between, the buildings being shaded not only
by the broad veranda, but also by rows of orange, lemon, lime, and peach
trees, the fragrance from which imparted an indescribably refreshing
character to the air. Turning to the left as they emerged from the
hall, Carlos conducted his friend along the left wing until they reached
the last door but one, which the young Cuban threw open, ushering his
friend into a neatly furnished and clean bedroom, in which Jack's
overland trunk had already been deposited.

"The Madre has put you in here, Jack," Carlos explained, "because the
room faces east, and will therefore be cool when you turn in at night,
while the trees in front shield it from the