THE MOTHER OF VICTOR HUGO. 231 however, for whom such adventures had no charm, and who detested traveling, the whole journey was one long fret about uncertain lodgings and all too certain fleas. She reached Avellino in safety with her charges, but she did not long enjoy her husband's company there, nor the quiet of the ancient castle where they dwelt. Joseph, King of Naples, became Joseph, King of Spain. He sent a letter to the newly established Governor of Avellino requesting him to come to Spain as soon as possible. The governor obeyed the summons, and his wife and children returned to France. Arrived at Paris, Madame Hugo promptly set out to discover a suitable dwelling — no easy matter, since she knew exactly what she wanted, and would be satisfied with nothing else ; and above all, she had determined upon a garden, as an absolute necessity. For the grand scenery of the moun- tains, for broad plains and fertile valleys, she cared little ; but a garden of her own, a place upon which she could expend her labor, taste, and affection, and be rewarded by flowers and shrubs flourishing under her daily care — that was dear to her gentle French heart. She was long in finding such a house as she desired. One day she came back to the children radiant, and told them that she had at last discovered her very ideal. It was Number 12, Rue des Feuillantines, a spot since made famous by the poems of her illustrious son. Its large garden, almost a little park, extended "beyond it to a partially ruined convent. Within its limits were flowers in profusion, an abundance of fruit, a long avenue bordered with great chestnut trees, and, better than all, many nooks and corners neglected for years, and so overgrown with tangled vines and bushes as to seem to the children like a virgin forest. With this place so beautiful and sequestered Madame Hugo was content, while the boys asked nothing better
