and peculiarites of California plants.  Her right-hand man, “Will,” was also odd.  Unfortunately, his ideas were almost the opposite of hers.  Before they arrived at our gate sounds of altercation were only too plain.  She liked curves in the walks, he preferred corners; she liked tangles, he liked regular beds.  What we liked seemed to be going to cut very little figure.  All that was lacking was our architect friend, who had made the sketches and offered various suggestions of “amusing” things we might do.  He also is firm, though his manner is mild, so the situation would have been even more “amusing” for the family on the side lines, had he been present.  Owing to the placing of the house, we are doomed to have a lopsided garden whatever we do, but we want it to look wayward rather than eccentric.  After a battle fought over nearly every inch of the ground the lady was victorious, for Will said to me as he watched her motor disappear:  “I might as well do what she says or she’ll make me do it over.”  In this J——­ and I heartily concurred, for the simplest of arithmetical calculations would show that it would otherwise prove expensive.

Will had a worker whose unhappy lot it was to dig up stumps, apply the pick to the adobe parts of the soil, and generally to toil in the sweat of his brow.  As a team they made some progress, and I began to have some hope of enjoying what I had always been led to believe was the treat of one’s life—­making a garden.  I felt entirely care-free—­the lady gardener was the boss and there was only room for one—­directions were a drug on the market.  This state of affairs was short-lived.  Will failed to appear the third day out, and the lady gardener’s pumping system for her nurseries blew up or leaked or lay down on the job in some way, so that the worker and I confronted each other, ignorant and unbossed.  I will not dwell on the week that followed.  The lady gardener gave almost vicious orders by telephone and the worker did his best, but it is not a handy way to direct a garden.  When the last rosebush is in, including some that Will is gloomily certain will never grow, I think I shall go away for a rest to some place where there is only cactus and sage and sand.

J——­ arrived on the scene in time to save the day, and the garden is very lovely.  Next year it will be worth going a long way to see, for in this part of the world planting things is like playing with Japanese water flowers.  A wall of gray stucco gently curves along the canyon side, while a high lattice on the other shows dim outlines of the hills beyond.  In the wall are arches with gates so curved as to leave circular openings, through which we get glimpses of the sea.  It makes me think of King Arthur’s castle at Tintagel.  In the lattice there is a wicket gate.  There is something very alluring about a wicket gate—­it connotes a Robin.  Unfortunately, my Robin can only appear from Friday to Monday, but I’m not complaining.  Any one is fortunate who can count