time the company had seen all the most striking and celebrated
statues in the principal halls and galleries. They had been making a
sort of circuit through the palace in passing through these rooms, and
now came out very near the entrance door, where they had come in. Here
the torch bearers left them, and went away with their apparatus to the
part of the building where they belonged, while the company, descending
the grand staircase, came out into one of the porticos of the church,
and issuing from the portico they found carriages in waiting upon the
piazza, and ready to convey them home. Mr. George and his party reached
their hotel about nine o'clock, all very much pleased with the spectacle
which they had witnessed.

CHAPTER XI.

CONCLUSION.

Rollo was so much pleased with his torch light visit to the Vatican, and
he found, moreover, on talking with Charles and Allie about it the next
day, so much evidence of their having been greatly pleased with it, that
he planned, a few days afterwards, a torch light visit to the Coliseum.
It is very common to make moonlight visits to the Coliseum, but Rollo
thought a torch light view of the majestic old ruin would be better. On
proposing his plan to his uncle, Mr. George said that he had no
objection to it if Rollo would make all the arrangements. He did not
know any thing about it himself, he said.

Rollo said he had no doubt that he could arrange it, with the help of a
commissioner.

[Illustration: COLISEUM BY TORCHLIGHT.]

So Rollo looked out a good commissioner, and the commissioner arranged
the plan. I have not space to describe this visit fully, but must pass
on to the conclusion of the book. I will only say that the torches which
were employed on this occasion, were different from those employed in
the exhibition of the statues in the Vatican, being more like those used
by firemen in America. There were also more of them in number, the
commissioner having provided four. With these torch bearers to light
their way, Rollo's party explored the Coliseum in every part, and they
found that the grandeur and sublimity of the immense corridors and vast
vaulted passages of the ruin were greatly enhanced by the solemnity of
the night, and by the flickering glare of the torches, shining upon the
massive piers, and into the dark recesses of the ruin.

I do not know how many more torch light visits to wonderful places in
Rome Rollo would have planned, had not the time a