They had a
little cottage called the "Laiterie," where the white cows with their
gilded horns were brought in to be milked. Here, too, little plays were
presented in a tiny theater where only the members of the court were
admitted. The Queen and her brother, Comte de Provence, were always the
chief actors.
Our villa adjoins the Park proper. In our deeds to the two acres there
is a clause which reserves a right-of-way for the King! The deed is
worded like the old lease that dates back to 1750, and so one day we may
have to give a King a right-of-way through our garden, if France becomes
a monarchy again. Anyone who knows French people at all knows how dearly
they cherish the dream of a monarchy.
[Illustration: THE BROAD TERRACE CONNECTS HOUSE AND GARDEN]
One of the small houses we found on our small estate had once been a
part of the _hameau_ of Marie Antoinette. We have had this little house
rebuilt and connected with the villa, and now use it as a guest
house. It is very charming, with its walls covered with lattices and
ivy.
Villa Trianon, like most French houses, is built directly on the street,
leaving all the space possible for the garden. The facade of the villa
is very simple, it reminds you of the square houses of the American
Colonial period, except that there is no "front porch," as is inevitable
with us in America.
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