this score, for the coachman drove
the carriage directly to the door of the office for Rome. Rollo had told
him that that was his destination, before leaving the hotel.

There was a man in a sort of uniform at the door of the office. Rollo
pointed to his valise, and said, in Italian, "For Rome to-morrow
morning." The man said, "Very well," and taking the valise out of the
carriage, he put it in the office. Then Rollo and Cyrus got into the
carriage again, and rode away.

The next morning Mr. George and Rollo went down to breakfast before six
o'clock. While they were eating their breakfast, the waiter came in with
a cold roast chicken upon a plate, which he set down upon the table.

"Ah!" said Mr. George, "that is for us to eat on the way."

"Don't the diligence stop somewhere for us to dine?" asked Rollo.

"Yes," said Mr. George, "I presume it stops for us to dine, but as we
are going to be out all night, I thought perhaps that we might want a
supper towards morning. Besides, having a supper will help keep us awake
in going across the Pontine Marshes."

"Must we keep awake?" asked Rollo.

"So they say," replied Mr. George. "They say you are more likely to
catch the fever while you are asleep than while you are awake."

"I don't see why we should be," said Rollo.

"Nor do I," said Mr. George.

If Mr. George really did not know or understand a thing, he never
pretended to know or understand it.

"It may be a mere notion," said Mr. George, "but it is a very prevailing
one, at any rate; so I thought it would be well enough for us to have
something to keep us awake."

"We will take some bread and butter too," said Rollo.

Mr. George said that that would be an excellent plan. So they each of
them cut one of the breakfast rolls which were on the table in two, and
after spreading the inside surfaces well with butter, they put the parts
together again. The waiter brought them a quantity of clean wrapping
paper, and with this they wrapped up both the chicken and the rolls, and
Rollo put the three parcels into his bag.

"And now," said Rollo, "what are we to do for drink?"

"We might take some oranges," suggested Mr. George.

"So we will," said Rollo. "I will go out into the square and buy some."

Rollo, accordingly, went out into the square, and for what was
equivalent to three cents of American money he bought six oranges. He
put the oranges into his pockets, and returned to the hotel.

He found Mr. George