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Fanny Van de Grift Osbourne , future wife of Stevenson , c . 1876
the precipice far below , only break in upon the quietness to render it more complete and perfect ’.
In Hyères Stevenson had everything he could ever dream about — as if he found his personal ‘ treasure island ’.
This is an image of the Principality left in the memory of the writer .
Stevenson stayed in Menton from November 1873 till April 1874 .
20 YEARS LATER
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Stevenson came to the Côte d ’ Azur for the very first time at the age of 13 .
One of his walks definitely marked the writer ’ s journey and left a lasting impression . During his visit to Monaco , Robert wanted to visit the legendary Monte-Carlo Casino . However , due to their inappropriate clothes the young men were not allowed to come in the gambling house . Nevertheless , this did not prevent them from walking around the Principality . In his letter to Mrs . Sitwell , the writer narrates in detail about his trips :
‘ Colvin and I are sitting on a seat on the battlemented gardens of Old Monaco . The day is grey and clouded , with a little red light on the horizon , and the sea , hundreds of feet below us , is a sort of purple dove-colour . Shrub-geraniums , firs , and aloes cover all available shelves and terraces . <…> White gulls sail past below us every now and then , sometimes singly , sometimes by twos and threes , and sometimes in a great flight . The sharp perfume of the shrub-geraniums fills the air . I cannot write , in any sense of the word ; but I am as happy as can be , and wish to notify the fact , before it passes . <…> Voices of children and occasional crying of gulls ; the mechanical noise of a gardener somewhere behind us in the scented thicket ; and the faint report and rustle of the waves on
The novelist didn ’ t stop thinking about the south of France , and his health again necessitated a return to these lands . In 1883 , Stevenson settled in Hyères , away from noisy Nice and Monaco . The Scottish writer did not come here all alone . Another Fanny came into his life . They met in Paris ; Fanny Osborne was an American artist , bringing up two children , separately from her husband . They married in 1880 , Robert first joined her in California , but health problems had resurfaced again . And so he , along with his beloved wife , set foot on French soil .
In Hyères Stevenson ’ s family settled in a chalet ‘ La Solitude ’ ( Loneliness ) surrounded by a wonderful garden . The writer worked in the morning , and then he and Fanny took long walks . Robert confessed he was very happy there . ‘ This little corner , our garden is so amazing . I seem to live in a paradise ’, he used to say . Along with more stable health , the financial situation also goes back to normal : a book comes out with a story about pirates ( yes , ‘ Treasure Island ’), which Robert had written for Fanny ’ s son Lloyd . By the end of summer 1883 Stevenson finished another future bestseller , ‘ The Black Arrow ’.
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