Around him was a frightful litter.

The shell, the history of which he would never know, had struck fairly in the center of the place, and it must have burst in a thousand fragments.

Scarcely a pane of glass had been left unbroken, and the great pots, containing rare fruits and flowers, were mingled mostly in shattered heaps.

It was a pitiable wreck, and it stirred John, although he had seen so many things so much worse.
He walked a little distance in a stooping position, and then stood up among some shrubs, tall enough to hide him.

He noticed a slight dampness in the air, and he saw, too, that the feathery clouds were growing darker.