nd so many friends I loved. My
work did not deprive me of the daily diversion of going about the city
and its surroundings. I always went alone to the palaces where
collections of pictures and statues were exhibited, so as not to have
my enjoyment spoiled by stupid remarks or questions. All these palaces
are open to strangers, and much gratitude is due to the great Roman
nobles for being so obliging. It may seem hard to believe, but it is
true that one might spend one's whole life in the palaces and
churches. In the churches are to be found great treasures of painting
and extraordinary monuments. The wealth of St. Peter's in this respect
is well known. The finest of the churches regarding architecture is
St. Paul's, whose interior is lined with columns on each side.

One can have no idea of the grand and imposing effect of the Catholic
religion unless one can see Rome during Lent. On Easter Day I took
good care to be in the square of St. Peter's to see the Pope give his
blessing. Nothing could have been more solemn. The immense square was
filled at early morning by peasants and by the inhabitants of the
town, in all sorts of different costumes--bright and varied in
colour--and there were also a large number of pilgrims. They all stood
as still as the superb obelisk of Oriental granite in the middle of
the square. At ten o'clock the Pope arrived, clothed all in white, his
crown on his head. He took his place in the centre stand outside the
church on a magnificent high velvet throne. The Cardinals surrounded
him, clad in their handsome dress. It must be said that Pope Pius VI.
was splendid. His healthy face showed no sign of the wear and tear of
old age. His hands were white and plump. He knelt down to read his
prayer. Afterward, rising up, he gave a double blessing in speaking
these words, "_Urbi et Orbi_." Then, as if struck by an electric
shock, the people, the strangers, the troops, and all others fell on
their knees, while the cannons boomed from all sides, this adding to
the majesty of the scene, by which it was impossible not to be moved.

[Illustration: THE BARONESS DE CRUSSOL.]

The blessing given, the Cardinals threw a quantity of papers down from
the gallery, and these, I was told, were indulgences. Thousands of
hands shot upward to grasp them. The eagerness and the excitement of
this crowd, its pressing and pushing, were beyond description. When
the Pope withdrew, the regimental bands intoned a flourish, and