174 EARLY REMINISCENCES a mouldy growth covered the mosaic, and within a few years the pavements were utterly ruined. At the present day not a trace remains of what had been a really magnificent series of mosaic pavements. In the centre of the Villa, which ran north and south, was the atrium about an impluvium, fed by a lead pipe from a spring a little way up the hill to the west, as also by white marble carved spouts from the roof. The impluvium was enclosed within dwarf walls of coloured marbles, and was paved with mosaic representing fish. Out of the atrium to the west opened the semicircular tablinum raised a step above it, the walls lined with alabaster. The paved floor was of singular beauty. To the east, ran a long corridor that had probably been open to the air and was fronted by white marble pillars, but we found only a single Corinthian capital. To the north of the atrium were the summer apartments, in the largest of which, let into the midst of a beautifully patterned mosaic floor, was a huge cross, the centre or crossing of the arms occupied by a gigantic bust of Neptune, and the arms filled with representations of fish—mostly mackerel, oysters, lobsters and octopi. Here also were the baths, and from the hall with the cross, due north, was a trefoiled bath with mosaic floor, that was not completely excavated when the city authorities ordered us to stop work. They, of course, never continued the excavation. To the south of the atrium were the winter apartments ; the mosaic floors were spread above a hypocaust that was heated by a fire-chamber on the west, and the smoke and heat were conveyed through the walls by pipes, so that both floor and walls were warmed. It is somewhat remarkable that no coins were found, or, if found, were secreted by the workmen. It was obvious, from the amount of charcoal discovered, that the house had been destroyed by fire. The tragedy of its story does not end here. I had carefully planned the Villa, and had copied all the mosaic floors in water colours. The whole was bound in a book. Some years ago my son, Henry, looked through it, and was fascinated by the beauty of the designs, and suggested showing them to a London firm for linoleum. I consented. I never saw my book again. He went to Malacca and died there. Consequently all that remains to record the designs are some scraps of patterns drawn by
