e
lands."

"You are right," said Mr Burne.

"Well, it is the custom of the country," continued the professor, "and
while we have no hard travel to do, let us follow these people's
example, and watch and think."

"There is no room to do anything else," said Mr Burne grumpily.

"How delicious!" said Lawrence as if to himself.

"What, those grapes!" said the professor smiling.

"I beg your pardon!" exclaimed Lawrence, starting and flushing again
like a girl. "No: I meant sitting back here, and feeling this beautiful
soft breeze as we glide through the blue sea."

"You like it then?" said Mr Burne smiling.

"Oh, yes! I don't know when I felt so well and happy. It is
delightful."

"That's right," cried Mr Burne. "Come, now; we must throw the invalid
overboard."

Lawrence laughed.

"I mean the disease," said Mr Burne. "No more talking about being
ill."

"No," said Lawrence quietly, and speaking as if he felt every word he
uttered to be true; "I feel now as if I were growing better every hour."

"And so you are," cried the professor. "Come, don't think about
yourself, but set to work and take photographs."

"Nonsense!" cried Mr Burne; "let the boy be, now he is comfortable.
Photographs indeed! Where's your tackle?"

"I mean mental photographs," said the professor laughing.

"Then, why didn't you say so, man? Good gracious me, if we lawyers were
to write down one thing when we mean another, a pretty state of affairs
we should have. The world would be all lawsuits. Humph; who'd think
that Smyrna was such a dirty, shabby place, to look at it from here?"

"A lovely scene certainly!" said the professor. "Look, Lawrence, how
well the mountain stands out above the town."

"Humph, yes; it's very pretty," said the lawyer; "but give me Gray's Inn
with its plane-trees, or snug little Thavies' Inn. This place is a
sham."

"But it is very beautiful seen from here, Mr Burne," said Lawrence, who
was feasting on the glorious sunlit prospect.

"Paint and varnish, sir, over rotten wood," snorted Mr Burne. "Look at
the drainage; look at the plagues and fevers and choleras they get
here."

"Yes," said the professor, "at times."

"Bah! very pretty, of course, but nothing like London."

"With its smoke," said the professor.

"Fine healthy thing, sir," cried the old gentleman. "Magnificent city,
London!"

"And its darkness and fogs," said Lawrence.

"Well, who minds a bit of fog, so long as he is wel