That was
James's misfortune and not his fault.
The truth is I did look in many more familiar directions before
fortunate accident led me here. I had an idea that I wanted to live on
the heights of Montmorency, in the Jean Jacques Rousseau country. But
it was terribly expensive--too near to Enghien and its Casino and
baccarat tables. Then I came near to taking a house near Viroflay,
within walking distance of Versailles. But at the very mention of that
all my French friends simply howled. "It was too near to Paris"; "it
was the chosen route of the Apaches"; and so on and so forth. I did not
so much care for the situation. It was too familiar, and it was not
really country, it was only suburbs. But the house attracted me. It
was old and quaint, and the garden was pretty, and it was high. Still
it was too expensive. After that I found a house well within my means
at Poigny, about an hour, by diligence, from Rambouillet. That did
attract me. It was real country, but it had no view and the house was
very small. Still I had got so tired of hunting that I was actually on
the point of taking it when one of my friends accidentally found this
place.
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