midday
There were a few narrow windows fitted with stone columns , scattered capriciously over the façade , a bare stone wall blackened by time , with several square holes like ventilators near the roof , and a large door in the middle studded with heavy nails . Inside it was immense , and more cheerful . The courtyard was broader than the street . The sun came in at the window at the back at midday , and its rays were tempered by the branches of the garden-trees which formed a pleasant curtain . There was a great deal of mystery and enchantment about this old house for the Lancians , who were endowed with imagination ; more especially for the children , who are the only beings who are open to weird fancies in this prosaic age . The façade , if such a name can be given to the aforesaid wall , faced the Calle de la Misericordia , one of the most central streets of the town . One of the windows , perchance the largest , overlooked the Calle de Cerrajerías , and from it could be seen the cathedral in the distance .