comfort, just for the pleasure of
being near them.

"It must be a delightful place to visit," said Barbara, when finally
they were alone, "but I should not like to have to live here for any
length of time, I know; so gray, so old, so desolate it all seemed on
our way through the streets," and a slight shiver ran through her at the
remembrance.

Soon they went to the Cathedral; admired its facade, decorated with
mosaics in softly brilliant colors until it looked like a great opal,
shining against the deep blue sky; entered it and saw Fra Angelico's
grand _Christ_, and calm, holy saints and angels; and, close to them
(the most striking contrast presented in art), Luca Signorelli's wild,
struggling, muscular figures.

They went into the photograph store on the corner for photographs, and
to the little antique shop opposite, where they bought quaint Etruscan
ornaments to take away as souvenirs,--and then gave themselves to
exploring the city; after which they all confessed to having fallen
somewhat under the spell of its charm.

The next afternoon found them on their way, around Lake Trasimeno, to
Perugia.

Little had been said about this city, for their conversation had been
engaged with those they had left behind. Malcom, only, had been looking
up its history in his guide-book, and was interested to see the place
that had been bold enough to set itself up even against Rome, and so had
earned the title "audacious" inscribed on its citadel by one of the
Popes.

"Magnificent in situation!" he exclaimed, and his eager eyes allowed
nothing to escape them, as their omnibus slowly climbed the high hill,
disclosing wide and ever widening views of the valley of the Tiber.

"I think," said Mr. Sumner, who was enjoying the delighted surprise of
his party, "that Perugia is the most princely city in regard to position
in all Italy. It is perched up here on the summit as an eagle on his
aeried crag, and seems to challenge with proud defiance these lower
cities, that, though each on its own hill-top, look as if slumbering in
the valley below."

When a little later they were ushered into the brilliantly lighted
dining-room, which was filled almost to overflowing with a gayly dressed
and chattering crowd of guests, most of whom spoke the English language,
all the way thither seemed as a dream. Only the voluminous head-dresses
of the English matrons, and the composite speech of the waiters, told
them surely that they were in a f