continuous under the premises of the adjoining house, and under the
public street, and arrangements were at once made to uncover and annex
these adjoining parts, so as to permit the whole to be seen at one view.
The pavement thus uncovered forms a floor which, if complete, would
measure 23 feet square; it lacks a part on the west side, and also the
entire south border is missing. It is a marvel of constructive skill, of
variety and beauty in form and color, and not the least part of the
marvel arises from the almost beggarly elements out of which the
designer has produced his truly harmonious effects. No squared,
artificially colored, or glazed tesseræ, such as we see in a modern
floor, are used, but little pieces, irregularly but purposely formed of
brick and stone. There are three shades of brick--a bright red, a dull
or Indian red, and a shade between the two; slate from a neighboring
quarry gives a dark bluish gray; an oolite supplies the warmer buff; and
a fine white composition resembling limestone is used for the center
points and borders. In addition, the outside border is formed with
tesseræ of rather larger size of a sage green limestone. Speaking
generally, the design is formed by nine octagon figures, three by three,
surrounded and divided by a guilloche cable band; the interspaces of the
octagons are filled by four smaller square patterns, and the outer
octagon spaces by 12 triangles. Outside these is a border formed by a
cable band, by a second band of alternate heart-shaped, pear-shaped, and
bell-shaped flowers, and by alternate white and gray bands; and outside
all is the limestone border already described. This border is
constructed with tesseræ about five-eighths of an inch square. The
remaining tesseræ vary from one half to one-quarter inch of irregular
rhomboidal form. The construction of the pavement is remarkable. There
is a foundation of strong concrete below; over it is a bed of pounded
brick and lime three to four inches thick, and upon this a layer of fine
white cement, in which the tesseræ are laid with their roughest side