alian--Trades-people--Genoa
the Superb--Theatres--Italian Plays--Religious
Houses--Sunday Promenade--Winter Residence
chosen--Dinner at French Consul's--Reception at
M. di Negri's--A Tumble--English Visitors and
News--Visit of his Brother--Sea-bathing.

THE travelling party arrived at Marseilles on the evening of Sunday the
14th of July. Not being able to get vetturino horses in Paris, they had
come on, post; paying for nine horses but bringing only four, and
thereby saving a shilling a mile out of what the four would have cost in
England. So great thus far, however, had been the cost of travel, that
"what with distance, caravan, sight-seeing, and everything," two hundred
pounds would be nearly swallowed up before they were at their
destination. The success otherwise had been complete. The children had
not cried in their worst troubles, the carriage had gone lightly over
abominable roads, and the courier had proved himself a perfect gem.
"Surrounded by strange and perfectly novel circumstances," Dickens wrote
to me from Marseilles, "I feel as if I had a new head on side by side
with my old one."

To what shrewd and kindly observation the old one had helped him at
every stage of his journey, his published book of travel tells, and of
all that there will be nothing here; but a couple of experiences at his
outset, of which he told me afterwards, have enough character in them to
be worth mention.

Shortly before there had been some public interest about the captain of
a Boulogne steamer apprehended on a suspicion of having stolen specie,
but reinstated by his owners after a public apology to him on their
behalf; and Dickens had hardly set foot on the boat that was to carry
them across, when he was attracted by the look of its captain, and
discovered him after a few minutes' talk to be that very man. "Such an
honest, simple, good fellow, I never saw," said Dickens, as he imitated
for me the homely speech in which his confidences were related. The
Boulogne people, he said, had given him a piece of plate, "but Lord
bless us! it took a deal more than that to get him round again in his
own mind; and for weeks and weeks he was uncommon low to be sure.
Newgate, you see! What a place for a sea-faring man as had held up his
head afore the best on 'em, and had more friends, I mean to say, and I
do tell you the daylight truth, than any man on this station--ah! or any
other, I don't care wh