Page:Mexico of the Mexicans.djvu/42

26 Only the main entrance—a great carriage-way—leads from the street, and all communication with the apartments within is from the court, which is surrounded by verandahs and balconies, and in some cases boasts a fountain. The reception rooms are, for the most part, situated in the lower storey. These are large and spacious, and are furnished in the French manner, for Gallic taste has a strong hold upon the Mexican cultured classes. The bedrooms are placed in the upper storey, are entered from a balcony, and are sometimes en suite and reached by communicating doors—an arrangement awkward for foreigners. The less wealthy reside in flats or viviendas, which, as a rule, contain from six to eight rooms. House rents in Mexico city are exceedingly high. Flats let from £60 to £200 per annum, and the larger residences for from £400 to £600 per annum. These exorbitant prices are due to the rapid rise in the value of real estate in Mexico city of late years and the much enhanced cost of building. In many of the provincial cities, however, rents are extremely moderate. Of late years, the "suburban" system of residing in villas in the lesser towns which surround Mexico has come into vogue. These districts are within easy distance of the capital by train or electric tramway, and residence within them is rendered more pleasant by the exquisite gardens which surround their villas, many of which are of some antiquity, are spacious and dignified, and possess none of the freakishness which too often disfigures English suburban localities.

The Mexican gentleman is frequently a fluent linguist, and, as he is almost invariably a great traveller, he finds plenty of opportunities to extend his knowledge of languages. His French is usually excellent, and very often his knowledge of English—acquired first-hand by education or residence in England or America—is good. His literary tastes are refined and catholic, with, naturally, a bias towards the literature of the Latin races. Often in youth he is prone to the making