cks, and thus they had a large
number of candles all burning together as one.

The screen, which I have already spoken of, covered this blaze of light
upon one side, so as to keep it from shining upon the faces of the
company.

Thus provided the torch bearers went on, and the company followed them.
Of course, there is only time in the two hours usually appropriated to
this exhibition to show a comparatively small number of the statues. The
torch bearers accordingly selected such as they thought were most
important to be seen, and they passed rapidly on from one to another of
these, omitting all the others. When they approached a statue which they
were going to exhibit, they would hold the torch up near the face of it
in such a manner as to throw a strong light upon the features, and so
bring out the expression in a striking manner. The screen shielded the
eyes of the company from the direct rays of the flame, and yet there was
sufficient light reflected from the marble walls of the gallery, and
from the beautiful white surfaces of the statues arranged along them, to
enable the company to discern each other very distinctly, and to see all
the objects around them.

The company passed in this manner through one of the long galleries,
stopping here and there to look at the great masterpieces of ancient
art, and then they entered into a series of comparatively smaller
chambers and halls. Rollo was exceedingly interested in the exhibition,
and in all the attendant circumstances of it; but he could not tell
whether Allie was pleased or not. She seemed bewildered and struck dumb
with amazement at the strange aspect of the scenes and spectacles which
were continually presented to view. The immense extent and the gorgeous
magnificence of the galleries and halls, the countless multitude of
statues, and the almost spectral appearance which they assumed when the
torch bearers threw the bright light of the torch upon their cold marble
faces, all impressed her with a solemn awe, which seemed so entirely to
subdue and silence her, that Rollo could not tell how she felt, or what
she thought of the strange spectacle which he had brought her to see.

After about an hour, the first set of candles that had been put into the
socket of the torch pole were burned down, and then the torch bearers
supplied their places with another set formed by the remaining halves of
the candles which they had cut in two. These lasted another hour. By
that