en playing about on the
pavements near. Perhaps one of the oldest of the children would be
tending the baby, either holding it in her arms, or rocking it to sleep
in a round-bottomed basket on the pavement. These round-bottomed baskets
were all the cradles they seemed to have.

But what pleased Rollo and Josie most was to stroll along a street in a
part of the town where the sailors lived. It was at a place where there
was a wide beach, which was entirely covered with fishing boats, that
had been drawn up there on the sand. Between the boats and the street
there was a level place, where the fishermen's families had established
themselves. Some were making or mending nets. Some were frying fish in
the open air. Some were gathered around a big stone with a flat top,
which they were using for a table, and were eating their breakfast or
their dinner there. Some were lying stretched out upon the ground, or
curled up in corners, fast asleep.

It was a very curious sight to see, and it would have been a very pretty
one, had it not been that almost all these people were clothed in rags,
and looked like so many beggars. Indeed, there were a great many real
beggars every where about,--so many, in fact, that no lady could have
any peace at all in walking about the streets of Naples, on account of
their importunity. Mrs. Gray and Rosie would have liked very much to
have walked about with Rollo and Josie, in the excursions which they
made in this way; but they could not do it, for every where they went,
such a number of poor, diseased, crippled, and wretched-looking objects
came up to them, and gathered around them, as to destroy all the
pleasure.

There is no need of this at all; for Naples is a very thrifty place, and
the people that live in it are abundantly able to take care of their
poor. They have, in fact, built hospitals and endowed them, and the poor
people who have no friends to take care of them might go to the
hospitals if they chose. But as the climate in that country is mild, and
they can live well enough in the open air, they prefer to ramble about
the streets and beg, and there are enough inconsiderate people among
the visitors always at Naples, from foreign countries, to give them
money sufficient to keep up the system.

Thus every person among the lower classes in Naples, who has any
disease, or infirmity, or malformation of any kind, considers it a
treasure, and comes out into the street to exhibit it to all b