Italian castles and country seats . ice, for from here we can reacheasily all our friends, and make the interesting excur-sions in various directions, as this seems to be a sortof natural geographic centre for my plans. We had scarcely said good-bye to the Countess,and seen the boat push off, when another elegant andmuch larger motor-boat steamed up to the wharf. Iknew in a moment that it must be the Carlotta,belonging to Mrs. Clark Fisher; for all who know any-thing of present-day life at Como, know of the beauti-ful American motor-boat and the hospitality of itsowner. Mrs. Fisher had written
Italian castles and country seats . ice, for from here we can reacheasily all our friends, and make the interesting excur-sions in various directions, as this seems to be a sortof natural geographic centre for my plans. We had scarcely said good-bye to the Countess,and seen the boat push off, when another elegant andmuch larger motor-boat steamed up to the wharf. Iknew in a moment that it must be the Carlotta,belonging to Mrs. Clark Fisher; for all who know any-thing of present-day life at Como, know of the beauti-ful American motor-boat and the hospitality of itsowner. Mrs. Fisher had written me she was comingthis afternoon to take me away, bag and baggage, toher quaint villa a little farther down this shore of thelake, and it was difficult for us to explain and persuadeour enthusiastic compatriot that we could not wellchange our present plans, and that we should see agood deal of her, even though not housed beneathher roof. She is certainly most generous and kind,and has placed the Carlotta absolutely at our dis-[192]. AND COUNTRY SEATS posal during our stay on the lake; but it was now toolate to go out on the water, so we are promised a longride to Bellagio to-morrow. Italy! Italy! It is surelytrue that all those who are born outside your bordershave two countries — their own and Italy; for one cannotbe surrounded by the magic beauties of this fairylandwithout succumbing completely to its enchantment. After dinner F. B. and I took a stroll about thegardens in the moonlight. The constant trickling ofthe water flowing through small apertures at the topof the hill, down a long series of sculptured step-likeinclines, seemed to play a sort of hypnotic melody as,one by one, the stars appeared over Mount Bolettoacross the way. The little steamers puffing up anddown the lake until quite late in the evening, gave atouch of life to the whole scene, and in a way, savedits reality, for without them one would have fanciedthe whole place the perfection of a dream. It is towa
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectitalydescriptionandt
