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on another march down the streets and along the waterfront to a distant wharf where we were to embark on launches. There were several hundreds of us that day mostly men carrying their rolls of bedding on their backs. It was a beautiful day for a sail-a sunny day with a fairly smooth sea. As we sailed by the city, we could see the ravages of fire and war in the ruins along the waterfront. About half an hour later we went by Felix Villas. The houses stood deserted. We passed close by the little shingle beach and rocks where the steps led up to Felix Villas. Many a breakfast we had had there-sausage, bacon, fresh rolls, butter and fried eggs-and hot fragrant coffee. We used to leave the house before the last stars had disappeared and get to the beach in time to swim in the rosy reflection of the dawn. The water was nearly always a smooth mirror of the sky at that time of day. We would stay there until about ten, when it began to get hot. Happy and the cats frequently followed us, but Happy, who hated water, always sat on the bank and even distrusted the tempting bite of sausage with which we tried to bait him. The Persian cat, on the other hand, loved to walk about on the rocks and didn't in the least mind getting her feet wet. Well, goodbye, Felix Villas! We'll be back sometime to look amongst your dust for treasures of memory-perhaps a scrap of paper from a book we loved. Perhaps I might even come across those bronze urns, museum pieces, which Ma so carefully buried. Goodbye, Felix Villas, with your blue and emerald and rose sea-sometime ... You are my ideal beauty spot with your poincianas, bougainvillea, allemanda all set against a sapphire sea, and now that I have come to a foreign land each home I come to I look for the sea for background and a big solid roomy family house. I can plant the poinciana, bougainvillea and allemanda. Sometimes in my search I come to a spreading poinciana and I say "Here is the place," but I find no sea view.
Again, here is a house with a glorious view and a bougainvillea hedge, but the house is dark.
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