Under the Moors, the Alhambra was the scene of many romantic events, the legends connected with which still people its courts with phantoms. The road leading up from the hotel to the entrance is shaded with tall trees, and the water trickles down the side, making the grass fresh and green. The walls are of a beautiful red or orange color, which is shared by the soil; this alone gives a glowing aspect to the scene. The chief place of entrance is called the Gate of Justice. It is more than a gate, being a square tower, the upper part of which contains rooms where people live. Their little flower pots filled with bright blossoms, stand on the ledge of the window. The horseshoe arch of entrance is below; for as the ground is terraced, the level of the palace is above that of the arch, and is approached by an ascent, and a staircase within the tower. [Illustration: COURT OF LIONS. (_From Family Flight through Spain._)] Over this arch there is carved an outstretched hand pointing upward, to avert the evil eye; over the second one a key is sculptured; a symbol of the power of the prophet to open and shut the gates of heaven. The passages within the tower wind about under several arches, until they lead out and up to the walled-in plateau, on which the Alhambra stands. A little farther on is another gateway, and building, called the Puerto del Vino; it formerly contained a Mihrab, or Moorish chapel. From the high terrace near these two gates is a lovely view across the deep ravine to the Sierra Nevada, always slightly touched with snow, and taking on beautiful lights, according to the time of day: dark blue in the morning, and, as evening approaches, roseate; for in addition to the sunset tints, the natural color of the soil and stone make the tone of the range warm and rich. Here opens a large plaza, called the Place of the Cisterns, on one side of which is the Alcazaba, or fortress, with its dismantled castle, while opposite it appears the palace of Charles the Fifth, which he began to build, but never finished. He destroyed the greater part of the beautiful winter palace of the Moors, to make room for his own, and afterward abandoned his plan, leaving the unfinished ruin, with open arches, staring to the sky. It is said that earthquakes discouraged him from going on with his palace. There are planted garden beds, and walks leading along the side of it, to a plain, unadorned wall, through which a door leads to the real glories of the Alhambra. Here found themselves one morning, Mr. Horner and Miss Lejeune, Bessie and Tommy; Bessie grumbling, as usual, at Charles the Fifth, and Ferdinand and Isabella, who have left their traces so often in the destruction of Moorish ornament. “I do believe,” said Bessie, “that Isabella herself rode on a whitewash brush!” “Perhaps she was the— Old woman, old woman, said I, To sweep the cobwebs from the sky!“ said Tommy.