“It will not be too large for a garden, with fountains for hot weather and flowers for cold.  It will be its own excuse for being, for it will give light and air to all the rooms, and if it has a glass roof the problem of comfortable living in cold weather will be solved.  There will always be the temperate zone at one side of the house,—­that is inside the court,—­however high the drifts may be piled outside.  Of course the entire building will be warmed in winter and cooled in summer by spicy breezes driven by electric fans, and we shall only have to decide what temperature we prefer on different days of the week, set the gauge, and there will be no more watching of the thermometer, the registers, the weather reports or the wood pile.”

“But I thought it was wrong to live in a river of warm air.  Uncle John compares that to taking a perpetual warm bath.”

“It is wrong; but, my dear Jack, life is a succession of compromises, especially domestic life, and considering the practical difficulties in the way of open hickory fires in all the forty or more rooms, we must be content with the artificially warmed air for every day use and consider radiated heat from wood fires, coal grates, or sunshine, as luxuries.”

“Certainly; it would be a pity to make all luxuries impossible just because we happen to own a castle in Spain.  Aren’t you afraid our court will be dreadfully hot in summer, shut in by four brick walls?”

“By no means; it will be particularly cool.  If we like we can have a great awning to draw over it in the hottest weather, and wide halls will allow a perfect circulation of air throughout the whole structure.  In addition to this, on the highest part of the roof there will be a space fitted for an outdoor sitting room, sheltered when necessary by awnings and screens, but most delightful on hot summer evenings.”

“Oh, yes, I see.  A sort of copy of the old Egyptian houses.”

“No, not a sort of a copy of anything, but a simple application of common sense.  In the evening when there is a breeze from any direction, the highest part of the house will be the coolest.”

“I thought it was to be a two-story house.  How can one part be higher than the rest?”

“I didn’t say it was to be all of the same height.  Some rooms will be much higher than others because they will be larger.  If a room is to be of agreeable proportions, the height must be determined by the size.  It may be best to make the north side three stories high and the south only one; that would give more sunlight on the north wall of the court and make the average two stories.”

“Nothing like keeping up the average.  But aren’t forty rooms with all the closets and storerooms, and stairways and halls, and bays and oriels and dungeons going to make a large house for one family?  Can’t we work the same idea on a smaller scale?”