Gardens of celebrities and celebrated gardens in and around London . s something else ? Epigrams sparkled, and witticisms flashed, at that wonderfultable, like the old silver and cut and jewelled glass upon it, and thewine that, without excess, passed round the polished board. Therewas fun in plenty without flippancy, and serious talk that was neverdull. And if an argument threatened to become over warm, ora repartee were too pungent, or my Lady were displeased, becausethe French cook was ill, and the favourite dishes—or even thedining-hour itself delayed—the host might be trusted to restorego
Gardens of celebrities and celebrated gardens in and around London . s something else ? Epigrams sparkled, and witticisms flashed, at that wonderfultable, like the old silver and cut and jewelled glass upon it, and thewine that, without excess, passed round the polished board. Therewas fun in plenty without flippancy, and serious talk that was neverdull. And if an argument threatened to become over warm, ora repartee were too pungent, or my Lady were displeased, becausethe French cook was ill, and the favourite dishes—or even thedining-hour itself delayed—the host might be trusted to restoregood humour. And what mattered it if the guests did elbow and jostle oneanother sometimes in the dining-room, when there would be roomand to spare in the great library later ? The season permitting,they wandered out into the gardens, and after sunset, in the softsummer darkness, listened to the nightingales answering one anotherin the great avenue or the Green Lane, that favourite walk beforementioned, that is still a lovely forest glade, and which now forms 218. ^ Q. :^ CO O HOLLAND HOUSE AND GARDENS the western boundary of the estate. At other times, when the mooncast athwart the lawn, the shadows of the cedars, oaks, andcypresses, that Henry Fox, the first Lord Holland, had planted,and, rising higher and higher, threw every gable, and pinnacle, andarcade of the old house into strong relief, and the harper playedbeneath the trees—they would stay out of doors till long past mid-night—for guests were generally asked to take a bed at HollandHouse. Those whose duties prevented them from doing so, orwho were too poor to afford a hackney coach to town, had—likeSydney Smith, when Canon of St. Pauls—to bring their dress shoeswith them and change them in the hall. Incidentally, the gardens are very frequently mentioned byLady Holland in the Journal, when writing from HollandHouse. But a very large proportion of it is dated from abroad,whither the Hollands often went, since f
Size: 1352px × 1848px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookpublishe, booksubjectgardens
