As I looked in it for the first time I saw that a few pictures adorned
the walls: pressed fern leaves filled the mantel vases, and the bright
remnants of last autumn's foliage were in some places fastened to the
walls. There was also a piano, over which hung an oil painting, and in
the opposite room was a large array of Mr. Ripley's books. It was "the
library," and many of the works were in German. In particular, there
was a set of fourteen volumes, "Specimens of Foreign Literature,"
edited by Mr. Ripley, that attracted my attention.
At the Cottage were the school-rooms principally for the younger
children; and the Pilgrim House was used mostly for family lodgings.
For a time my sleeping apartment was with others in the upper room of
the rear wing of the farmhouse, dignified by the name "Attica." My
companions were all single men; good, reliable fellows who were working
for a principle and would ordinarily have declined such a lodging-
place, but under the circumstances were not apt to grumble, but made
the best of it. It was like camping out, and all its mischances were
turned into fun. My roommates were called "the Admiral," "the
Dutchman," "the General" and "the Parson,"--nicknames given each one of
them for some personal peculiarity.
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