Page:Life in Mexico vol 1.djvu/209

Rh }} only to the garden, and pleaded the manly appearance of my riding hat, which would prevent all scandal, were I seen from a distance, but the complaisance of the good prior would not go quite so far as that, so I sat in the sacristy and conversed with a good-natured old monk with a double chin, whilst the others wandered through the grounds. They afterwards gave us a very nice breakfast, simple, but good; fish from the lake, different preparations of eggs, riz-au-lait, coffee and fruit. The monks did not sit down with us, nor would they partake of anything themselves. . ..

We went in the evening to see a pretty Hacienda called Los Morales, (the mulberry trees) belonging to a Spaniard, which has a nice garden with a bath in it, and where they bestowed a quantity of beautiful flowers on us.

The other day we set off early, together with the Belgian and French Ministers and their families, in carriages, to visit a beautiful deserted Hacienda called el Olivar, belonging to the Marquis of Santiago. The house is perfectly bare, with nothing but the walls; but the grounds are a wilderness of tangled flowers and blossoming trees—rose-bushes—sweet pease and all manner of fragrant flowers. We passed an agreeable day, wandering about, breakfasting on the provisions brought with us, arranging large bouquets of flowers, and firing at a mark, which must have startled the birds in this solitary and uncultivated retreat. We had a pleasant family dinner at the E's, and passed the evening at the Baron de 's. The gentlemen returned late, it being