Part 40

Here are countless frogs, and fish--tench; also a boat that belongs to the man who rents the fishing. A sad accident happened lately with his boat. A party of youngsters came for an outing and two boys jumped into the tub, rowed out, and capsized it with their pranks. They were both drowned--a painful and piteous death--a death which I have tried, by accident, and can nowise recommend. They fished them out later from their slimy couch, and found that they had clasped one another so tightly in their mortal agony that it was deemed impious ever to unloosen that embrace. So they were laid to rest, locked in each other's arms.

While my companion told me these things we had plodded further and further along this flat and inhospitable shore, and grown more and more taciturn. We were hungry and thirsty and hot, for one feels the onslaught of these first heats more acutely than the parching drought of August. Things looked bad. The luncheon hour was long past, and our spirits began to droop. All my mellowness took flight; I grew snappy and monosyllabic. Was there no shade?

Yonder ... that dusky patch against the mountain? Brushwood of some kind, without a doubt. The place seemed to be unattainable, and yet, after an inordinate outlay of energy, we had climbed across those torrid meadows. It proved to be a hazel copse mysteriously dark within, voiceless, and cool as a cavern.

Be sure that he who planted these hazels on the bleak hillside was no common son of earth, but some wise and inspired mortal. My blessings on his head! May his shadow never grow less! Or, if that wish be already past fulfilment, may he dwell in Elysium attended by a thousand ministering angels, every one of them selected by himself; may he rejoice in their caresses for evermore. Naught was amiss. All conspired to make the occasion memorable. I look back upon our sojourn among those verdant hazels and see that it was good--one of those moments which are never granted knowingly by jealous fate. So dense was the leafage in the greenest heart of the grove that not a shred of sunlight, not a particle as large as a sixpence, could penetrate to earth. We were drowned in shade; screened from the flaming world outside; secure--without a care. We envied neither God nor man.

I thought of certain of my fellow-creatures. I often think of them. What were they now doing? Taking themselves seriously and rushing about, as usual, haggard and careworn--like those sagacious ants that scurry hither and thither, and stare into each other's faces with a kind of desperate imbecility, when some sportive schoolboy has kicked their ridiculous nest into the air and upset all their solemn little calculations.

As for ourselves, we took our ease. We ate and drank, we slumbered awhile, then joked and frolicked for five hours on end, or possibly six. I kept no count of what was said nor how the time flew by. I only know that when at last we emerged from our ambrosial shelter the muscles of my stomach had grown sore from the strain of laughter, and Arcturus was twinkling overhead.

THE END

INDEX

Abbadé, author Abbadia San Salvatore Abruzzi, limestone deserts Acqua Acetosa, Rome Acqua santa, mineral fountain, its appalling effects Acque Vive, old Scanno Addison, J. Afforestation at Scanno Agave, plant; dislikes change of scene Alatri; its nameless tavern; citadel; ideal families at Alban volcanoes Alpenglühen, an abomination Amiata, mountain Anagni Analphabetics, their charm Anastasio, F. Aniene, river Anthology, Greek Anticoli Apennines, their general coloration Argos Aristotle Arno river, its colour-moods Artena Athene (Minerva), promontory and temple Attilio, a sagacious youngster

Bacon, misquoted Baedeker, on wine of Scanno Banca d'ltalia, its soi-disant director makes a fool of himself "Barone," an almost human dog Bathing in Tiber Baudelaire, C. Bears of Pescasseroli, rapid breeders Beds in England, neolithic features of Belgrave Square, its legendary partridges Bellegra, village Beloch, J. Bennet, Dr. J. H. Bentham, J. Berceau, mountain Bessel, F. W. Betifuli, ancient Scanno Bigio, marble Birds, their conservative habits Blackberries in Italy Blasphemies, as a pick-me-up Blind, Mathilde Blue, basic note of Italian landscape Board of Trade Labour Emergency Bureau, its lightning methods Boecklin, A. Borghese Gardens Bournemouth Bowles, Dr. R. Brachycephalism, menace to humanity Brahms, J., his inspiration Breil Brewster, H. B. Buckle, H. T. Building materials, of Florence, impart peculiar character to towns Bunbury, E. H., quoted Butter, French method of weighing, Italian regulations regarding

Cacume, mountain Calypso, her island Cammaiore Camosciara, mountain Campagna of Rome Campanella, headland Campoli Apennino Capaccio, G. C. Cap Martin (Mentone), a vulgarized spot Capasso, B. Capranica Capri Carbineers, good men and questionable institution Carrara Carrion crows, relatively gay fowls Casamari convent Casanova, J. Cascine Gardens Cats in Rome, their distressful condition Cement floors, a detestable invention Cemetery of Mentone of Rome; Scanno; Olevano Censorship Department, gratifying interview at Cervesato, A. Chamois Chaucer Children, good company neglected in war-time China, fatal morality of pre-Tartar period Ciminian forest Cineto Romano Circe, nymph Cisterna, a death-trap Civilization, its characteristic Civitella Coal-supply, a sore subject in Italy Coliseum, flora and fauna of Collepardo Conscience, national versus individual Consumption on Riviera; at Olevano Conterano, lake Corsanico Corsi, F. Crapolla, sea-cove Crinagoras, poet Critics, spleenfully criticized Cro-Magnon racev Cross, futility of bearing a

Darwin Deakin, botanist Dennis, G. Deserters at Valmontone Deslys, Gaby Dewlessness, a peculiarity of Italian townsmen Dialects of Italy Dictionary of National Biography Diodorus Siculus Dohrn, Dr. A. Donnorso, V. Doria, A. Dreams, recurrent; of flying Drowning accidents Drunkenness, not everybody's affair

Eagles Education Office, a "Sleepy Hollow" Edwards, Tam, naturalist Elba Elder tree, a venerable growth England, to be visited as a tourist English language, should remain in flux Englishmen, change in race-characters; contrasted with Italians; influence of new surroundings on Enthusiasm, unrewarded Eratosthenes Eugénie, Empress Experience, its uses

Faces, possibilities of improving Ferentino Ferento, ruined city Filangieri, di Candida, R. Flies, a curse Florence, its river; Cascine Gardens; pavements; local blasphemies; revisited Fontanella, village Food in war-time Football worth watching Fountains in Rome; responsible for shocking behaviour; in Villa Borghese France, its one irremediable drawback Frattura, village Frosinone, "Garibaldi" hotel; visited by Ramage Fumone Functionaries, social parasites

Gambling instinct, correlated with religion Gardeners, professional, imbeciles Gargiulli, O. Gautier, T. Germans, at Mentone; at Levanto; save oaks of Olevano; must follow footsteps Ghosts, mankind surrounded by, in; away with them Giannettasio, N. P.v Girtanner, Dr. A., beaver-specialist Giulio, a young reprobate Goethe, quoted Golden Ages of literature Gorbio Grant Duff, M. E. Greek words, surviving Grimaldi caves, incident at Grocery business, appeals to Frenchmen Gross feeders, beware of Grotta delle Palumbe Guardie regie, official loafers Gunther, Dr. A.

H., Mr., an ardent book-lover Hares in Italy Hebrews of military age, their enviable immunity from conscription Henderson, Dr., an old tippler Heredity, speculations on Hermits in Italy Hippocrates Hohentwiel, mountain Homer Horace Housemaid, a noteworthy Hutton, E.

Ierate, locality Imagination, needful to travel-literature, Imperialism in Italy Individual, contrasted with race Insomnia Intelligence, its two ingredients Isola Liri Italians, evolution of new type Italy, reasons for visiting; over-policed Ives, G.

J. O. M., a memorable type Jefferies, R. Johnson, S. Johnston-Lavis, H. J. Jovana, meadow

Keller, G. Kew Gardens King of Italy, protects bears Kingfisher, a wary old one Kneeling boy, statue Knop, Professor

Lachner, V. Ladbroke Grove, its enlightened children Landlady, of Mentone; the London variety; she of Viareggio; of Florence Lante, Villa La Croce, mountain La Rocca, village Lawrence, D. H. Laws, raison d'etre of Italian Leuthold, H. Levanto, arrival at; situation; company at hotel; the local magistrate; stroll to Monterosso Licenza Ligurians, their bad character Lizard, making a friend of; a disconsolate one Love affairs, Italian, how to conduct Lucian Lucretilis, mountain Lyme Regis

Macaroni, war-time substitutes; the right kind Maccarese, village Machinery, cult of; depraves Italian character Madonna della Neve, chapel Madonna di Tranquillo, wayside shrine Malaria Mandela Marbles Mathew, Rev. Maudsley, H. Maupassant Mazzella, S. Megara Mentone, recent transformation of; landscape; vegetation; produces dull schoolboys; prehistoric man of Merle blanc, a meritorious establishment Metaphysicians, atrophied poets Meyer, C. F. Meysenbug, Malwida von Michael Angelo; gets into trouble Migration of labourers, annual Mill, J. S. Militarism, the modern infáme Milvain Bridge Mineralogy Momio, village Monogamous habits, bad for songsters Mons Canutarius Montalto, cliff Monte-Carlo, its well-groomed flowers; lamentable episode at Casino Montecelio Monterosso Mortella, cliff Mortola, village Mosquitoes in Rome Moulinet Mummies, Peruvian Munitions Office, develops a craving for bankers Mure of Caldwell, traveller Muretta, mountain Museum, Kircher; delle Terme Music Mythopoeic faculty, example of

Neighbours, an over-rated class Nerano Newspaper reading, to be discouraged Nice Nietzsche, his blind spot Nightingales, too much of a good thing; cease from troubling Ninetta, an attractive maiden Nose, degeneration of

Odysseus at Alatri Office-hunters, should respect their betters Olevano, its nightingales; oak grove at; first English resident at Opi, town Ornithology Orte, town Orvinio Ouida, her writings and character

Paestum, roses of Pais, Prof. E. Palombaro Pantheon Patriotism, chilled Pavements, life on Peira Cava Perfumes, react on physiognomy Persico, G. B. Pescasseroli; its bears Peutinger Table Philosophers, contradistinguished from metaphysicians Piccadilly Goat Pietrasanta Pig, in distress Pines, at Levanto; at Viareggio Pisa in war-time Plaster-casts, how to dispose of Plato Pliny Pollius Felix Pontine Marshes Ponza island, megalithic ruin on Portovenere, marble Potter, Major Frederick, discovers Olevano Pottery, index of national taste Powder magazine, explosion of Preccia, mountain Prehistoric races, possible reasons for their extinction Press, the daily, its disastrous functions "Prison, The," a Socratic dialogue

Race ideals, contrasted with individual Ramage, Craufurd Tait, a centrifugal Scotsman, his book and umbrella; mania for hurrying; other travels of; compared with Waterton; on Italian country life; gets drunk; makes formal profession of sobriety; his tolerance; sensitive to female charms; still hustling; his humanistic outlook; little failings; other publications; zest for knowledge; at Licenza Rat-hunts Ravens, their conjugal fidelity Reading, to be done with reverence Recomone, inlet Red colour, unfashionable in Italy; in favour with other races Rhetoric, necessary to success in courtship Rhodian marble Ripa, a liquid poison Rivers, Italian Riviera, French, its inanity; typical visitors to; lack of native genius Roccaraso Rojate Rolfe, Neville Romanelli, painter Romans and British, their world dominion; unimaginative people Rome, changed aspect of railway station; protestant cemetery; explosion near; its fountains; tramcar nuisance; shadelessness; disadvantages of site; evening breeze; neglected cats; bad food; its building stone; unpleasant experience at; dearth of apartments Rubinstein, A.

Sagittario, stream Saint Domenico Saint-Jacques, chemin de Saint-Louis, bridge Saint Martin, his cave Saint Michael, hermitage Salatino, Dr. Salis-Marschlins, U. von San Costanzo, mountain and chapel San Remo San Rossore Sant' Egidio, hermitage Sant' Elia, farm Saracinesca, village Scalambra, mountain Scanno, cemetery at; memories of; revisited Schadona pass Scheffel, V. von Schopenhauer; anticipates "recognition marks" Scolastica, Saint Seaton Sebastiani, A. Segni Self-indulgence, a debased expression Sergi, Prof. G. Serpentaro, oak grove Serpents, with ears; human hatred of Serrano, village Serravezza Shelley, an evangelist; at Viareggio; recommends caverns to his readers, but lives comfortably himself Sicilians Siena, in winter; a Florentine's opinion of Sirena, survival of name Siren islets (Galli); ruin on Sirocco in Rome Sitting still, the true traveller's gift Sleep, its sacred nature Smollett Snakes Snow, Dr. H. Sora Soracte, mountain Soriano; its pleasant tavern Sospel Spezia Spy-mania in Italy Stabiae (Castellamare) Statius Strabo Strega liqueur, horribly adulterated; how to stop the scandal Subiaco, strawberries at Sunburn, pretty effects of Surrentum Swinburne, H. Switzerland, its manifold beauties Symonds, J. A.

Taxidermy, study of Telephone, an abomination Termini, village Terrata, mountain Theophrastus Tiber Tiryns, citadel Torco, village Trafalgar Square, its fauna Trajan's Forum Tramcars, an abomination Tree-creeper, bird Trevi Fountain Trifles, importance of Truth-telling, a matter of longitude; not in vogue to-day Tuscan speech, its peculiar savour

Urquehart, D.