The Craze of Christina — page 20: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

16 The Craze of Christina. upon the once aggressive ugliness of Essleton Hall. In places the weather had toned down the stucco walls into shades of green and brown, whilst jasmine and clustering roses had flung a veil of tender greenery across the bare un- sightly surfaces; and in summer time great bunches of cream and crimson blossoms would come nodding in at the windows; and even the gray slates on the roof had become beautified by patches of green and orange lichens which served in a great measure to obliterate their crude unloveliness. Inside, the condition of things was far worse. For two generations no female influence had pervaded the house, and two-thirds of the rooms had been entirely shut upfor years. Mr. Greville, who had lived and died a bachelor, had succeeded an uncle who had also never married. It was, therefore, a singular coinci- dence that now for the third time, Esselton Hall should descend, not from father to son, but from uncle to nephew. The late owner having been not only a bachelor but a miser as well, had allowed the house to fall into disrepair, and not a penny had been spent upon it during the whole time— nearly fifty years—of his ownership. Seem- Gomiuebd (00) KS (€(0)