er till 3.30 the next morning. On returning to
the albergo I found the professor still dozing on his chair, undisturbed
by the constant chatter of all the servants and their friends. He had
not gone to bed because the padrone, Peppino's father, with the key of my
room in his pocket, had gone out early in the evening and got lost in the
crowd, so there were both my beds wasted and nothing to be done but to
make the best of it. I settled myself on a chair in a corner and wished
for day. Whereupon, almost immediately, Peppino, who, though I did not
know it till afterwards, had been keeping near me and watching me all
night in case I might meet the evil eye among the people, came in and the
discussion rose into a tumult of dialect, as the situation was made clear
to him, and then sank into complete silence which was broken by his
suddenly saying to me--

"You wish to sleep? All right. I show you the bed. Come on."

He preceded me up some back stairs into a room occupied by a lady in one
bed, her female attendant in another and, in various shakedowns on the
floor, another woman, two men and more children than I could count by the
light of one candle. We picked our way among them to the farther end of
the room where there was a door. Peppino produced a key and opened it;
to my surprise it led into my room.

"Buon riposo," said Peppino, and was about to disappear the way we had
come when I reminded him that the professor was to have the other bed. I
had some difficulty with him, but when I had hung his coral round my neck
he gave way.

After this I saw a great deal of the professor. He said he was
forty-five and he was perhaps the most simple-minded, gentle creature I
have ever known. Being with him was like listening to a child strumming
on a worn-out piano. As we sat down to dinner next day he asked if he
could have a little carbonate of soda. Peppino, with a glance at the
bill of fare, regretted that there was none in the house. The professor
then explained to me the advantages of taking carbonate of soda before
meals and said that some chemists gave one an enormous quantity for two
soldi. Evidently the professor had not a good digestion. He helped me
with his own fork to a piece of meat off his own plate. This is a mark
of very great friendliness and makes me think of Joseph entertaining his
brethren when they went down to buy corn in Egypt.

"And he took and sent messes unto them from before him; but