The house beside the vineyard had no fireplace, at least not on the ground floor. That meant it was too cold to live in during this weather; it would only be comfortable and pleasant once spring arrived, the flowers bloomed, and the roses were in full splendor.
The wealthy often owned many houses, but Bagatelle Garden was a public garden, and its property rights belonged to no individual. The funds used to build the toilets came from the restoration budget, and future maintenance costs would also come from it. No matter how much a dictator could cover the sky with one hand, whether to establish a public utility still required assessment by the relevant government authorities according to the demands of the "common good." State authorities possessed discretionary power over such assessments, so long as constitutional principles were observed.
Yet the power to establish them belonged to government agencies, while the choice of whether to use them belonged to the people. Someone could come to Bagatelle Garden for a picnic, or bring his bride to hold a wedding in the restored chapel, then entertain friends and family by the little red house. These had once been privileges of royalty and nobility, but were now open to commoners as well. The toilet beside the vegetable garden was some distance away anyway. Wasn't fertilizing the flowers and trees directly in the bushes the same thing?
Toilets built in residential areas, along main roads, or in other public places generated income if they charged fees, which could be understood much like a city-entry tax. If they were free, then they became an expense and created an additional fiscal burden. In theory, the health department ought to bear the cost, but the Consulate was short of money and spending it everywhere. They had also