The sun was less than an hour from the horizon when the road, after
passing over a slight rise, swung in a wide arc through the woods
and thus unveiled a most extraordinary landscape. It was all the
more incredible because so utterly out of keeping with what Rolla
had just passed through. She had been in the wilderness; now--
A vast city lay before her. Not a hundred yards away stood a low,
square building of some plain, gray stone. Beyond this stretched
block upon block--mile upon mile, rather--of bona-fide residences,
stores and much larger buildings. It is true that the whole place
was badly overgrown with all sorts of vegetation; yet, from that
slight elevation, there was no doubt that this place was, or had
been, a great metropolis.
Presently it became clear that "had been" was the correct term.
Nothing but wild life appeared. Rolla looked closely for any signs
of human occupancy, but saw none. To all appearances the place was
deserted; and it was just as easy to say that it had been so for ten
centuries as for one.
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