with an iron railing in front of it, to separate it from the
road. Within this railing there was an altar, with lamps burning before
it, and a priest begging money of the people passing by. On the other
side was an ancient monument, with a long Latin inscription upon it.
Above were a great many different openings cut in the rock.

Rollo had ordered the coachman to stop at the entrance to Virgil's Tomb,
and the carriage accordingly drew up before a gate which seemed to be
set in the solid wall of rock which formed one side of the entrance to
the grotto. There was a man standing at this gate, and as soon as he saw
the carriage stop, he unlocked it. They all got out of the carriage, and
went in. The way led up a long and narrow, and very steep flight of
stone steps, which brought the party out at last into a sort of
vineyard, or garden, on the surface of the ground above.

Here there was a path which ascended some distance higher, among grape
vines and fruit trees, until at last it came to a place where there was
a beautiful view of Naples and Vesuvius, and all the bay. After stopping
a little time to admire this view, the party went on, following the
path, which now began to descend again, and to go back towards the mouth
of the grotto. Here, after climbing up and down among a great number of
caverns and excavations of all kinds cut in the rock, they came down to
a place just over the top of the mouth of the great grotto, where the
structure which is called _Virgil's Tomb_ is situated. It was a very
strange place. Rosie said that it was the strangest place that ever she
was in. Far beneath them they could hear the sound of the carriages, and
the voices of men who were going in and coming out, at the mouth of the
great grotto below.

After remaining here a few minutes, the party all went back down the
path through the vineyard to the carriage again.

The coachman then drove on through the grotto. It was full of carts,
carriages, loaded donkeys, and foot passengers, all going to or
returning from Naples. The floor of it was paved with stone, and at
different distances up the sides could be seen the marks made by the
hubs of wheels in former ages, when the roadway was at a higher level
than it is now. The natural rock is so soft that the wheel hubs cut into
it very easily. This is the reason why the floor is paved too, for the
rock itself would not stand the wear.

After passing through the grotto, the party emerged into