ous "Golden Sickle" enclosing the Bay of Messina.

"If this is really Eu-rope, I'm glad we came," said Uncle John, drawing
a long breath as the ship came to anchor opposite the Palazzo
Municipale. "I don't remember seeing anything prettier since we left New
York."

Presently they had loaded their trunks and hand baggage, and
incidentally themselves, into the boat of the Hotel Trinacria which came
alongside in charge of a sleepy porter. After a brief examination at the
custom-house, where Uncle John denied having either sugar, tobacco or
perfumery, they followed on foot the truck laden with their worldly
possessions, and soon reached the hotel.

A pleasant breakfast followed, which they ate before a window
overlooking the busy marina, and then they drove about the town for a
time to see in a casual way the "sights." In the afternoon they took the
train for Taormina. Messina seemed a delightful place, but if they were
going to settle in Taormina for a time it would not pay them to unpack
or linger on the way.

So they rolled along the coast for a couple of hours in a quaint,
old-fashioned railway carriage, and were then deposited upon the
platform of the little station at Giardini.

"I'm afraid there has been a mistake," said the little man, gazing
around him anxiously. "There's no town here, and I told the guard to put
us off at Taormina--not this forlorn place."

Just then Beth discovered a line of carriages drawn up back of the
station. The drivers were mostly asleep inside them, although several
stood in a group arguing in fluent Italian the grave question as to
whether Signora Gani's cow had a black patch over its left shoulder, or
not.

Some of the carriages bore signs: "Hotel Timeo;" "Grand Hotel San
Domenico;" "Hotel Castello-a-Mare;" "Grand Hotel Metropole," and so
forth. In that of the Castello-a-Mare the man was awakening and rubbing
his eyes. Uncle John said to him:

"Good morning. Had a nice rest?"

"I thank you, signore, I am well refreshed," was the reply.

"By the way, can you tell us where the town of Taormina is? I hate to
trouble you; but we'd like to know."

The man waved an arm upward, and following the motion with their eyes
they saw a line of precipitous cliffs that seemed impossible to scale.

"Do you desire to go to the Grand Hotel Castello-a-Mare?" enquired the
driver, politely.

"Is it in Taormina?"

"Most certainly, signore."

"And you will take us?"

"With pleasure, signo