I have a Castle of Silence, flanked by a lofty keep, And across the drawbridge lieth the lovely chamber of sleep; Its walls are draped in legends woven in threads of gold. Legends beloved in dreamland, in the tranquil days of old. Here lies the Princess sleeping in the palace, solemn and still, And knight and countess slumber; and even the noisy rill That flowed by the ancient tower, has passed on its way to the sea, And the deer are asleep in the forest, and the birds are asleep in the tree. And I in my Castle of Silence, in my chamber of sleep, lie down. Like the far-off murmur of forests come the turbulent echoes of town. And the wrangling tongues about me have now no power to keep My soul from the solace exceeding the blessed Nirvana of sleep. Lower the portcullis softly, sentries, placed on the wall; Let shadows of quiet and silence on all my palace fall; Softly draw the curtains.... Let the world labor and weep-- My soul is safe environed by the walls of my chamber of sleep. Turning from these verses to rest on the granite seat, we were confronted with a view of surpassing loveliness. Our attention had been so engrossed in examining this monument to genius that, until then, we had failed to perceive the commanding situation it held. Below us stretched the peaceful waters of the Bay; on the left Angel Island and the Berkeley hills, with old Diablo dimly seen in the distance; in front, Alcatraz with its warlike aspect lay basking in the sun; while to the right the City, with its many hills and pall of smoke, could be plainly discerned. Truly a fitting spot for this memorial to genius. [Illustration: Daniel O'Connell.] Another attractive feature of Sausalito, besides its superb marine view, is its abundance of flowers. These not only grow in thick profusion in the quaint hillside gardens, but are planted beside the roadways, covering many an erstwhile bare and unsightly bank with trailing vines, gay nasturtiums and bright geraniums. There is something in the spirit of this hillside gardening, this planting of sweet blossoms for the public at large, that is very appealing in these days of monopolistic greed, when everything that is worth while has a fence around it. Thus it is refreshing to find a little spot in this dollar-mad America where the citizens disinterestedly beautify the public streets for the enjoyment of each passer-by. [Illustration: A Wind-Blown Tree.]