I was in a vast hall full of light, received not alone from the windows on all sides, but from the dome, the point of which was a hundred feet above.

Beneath it, in the centre of the hall, a magnificent fountain played, cooling the atmosphere to a delicious freshness with its spray.

The walls and ceiling were frescoed in mellow tints, calculated to soften without absorbing the light which flooded the interior.

Around the fountain was a space occupied with chairs and sofas, on which many persons were seated conversing.

Legends on the walls all about the hall indicated to what classes of commodities the counters below were devoted.