-gown yesterday morning at Domo d'Ossola.
In all other respects he is just as he was.

Egg and Collins have gone out to kill the lions here, and I take
advantage of their absence to write to you, Georgie, and Miss Coutts.
Wills will have told you, I daresay, that Cerjat accompanied us on a
miserably wet morning, in a heavy rain, down the lake. By-the-bye, the
wife of one of his cousins, born in France of German parents, living in
the next house to Haldimand's, is one of the most charming, natural,
open-faced, and delightful women I ever saw. Madame de ---- is set up as
the great attraction of Lausanne; but this capital creature shuts her up
altogether. We have called her (her--the real belle), ever since, the
early closing movement.

I am impatient for letters from home; confused ideas are upon me that
you are going to White's, but I have no notion when.

Take care of yourself, and God bless you.

Ever most affectionately.

[Sidenote: The same.]

CROCE DI MALTA, GENOA,
_Friday Night, October 29th, 1853._

MY DEAREST CATHERINE,

As we arrived here later than I had expected (in consequence of the
journey from Milan being most horribly slow) I received your welcome
letter only this morning. I write this before going to bed, that I may
be sure of not being taken by any engagement off the post time
to-morrow.

We came in last night between seven and eight. The railroad to Turin is
finished and opened to within twenty miles of Genoa. Its effect upon
the whole town, and especially upon that part of it lying down beyond
the lighthouse and away by San Pietro d'Arena, is quite wonderful. I
only knew the place by the lighthouse, so numerous were the new
buildings, so wide the streets, so busy the people, and so thriving and
busy the many signs of commerce. To-day I have seen ----, the ----, the
----, and the ----, the latter of whom live at Nervi, fourteen or
fifteen miles off, towards Porto Fino. First, of the ----. They are just
the same, except that Mrs. ----'s face is larger and fuller, and her
hair rather gray. As I rang at their bell she came out walking, and
stared at me. "What! you don't know me?" said I; upon which she
recognised me very warmly, and then said in her old quiet way: "I
expected to find a ruin. We heard you had been so ill; and I find you
younger and better-looking than ever. But it's so strange