y
an earthquake. The newspapers particularly mentioned that the Albergo
Trinacria had fallen, killing everyone who was sleeping there that night.
I chanced a card to Toto asking whether he had escaped. On the 6th
January I received a letter from him; he had evidently not received my
card, which was returned to me about eight months later. This is a
translation of Toto's letter:

CATANIA,
1 _Jan._, 1909.

Egregious Signor Enrico,

You must have already heard of the destruction of Messina. By a
miracle I am saved, also my family, except that I do not yet know the
fate of two of my sisters, my father, three nephews and one
brother-in-law. My father was at Reggio Calabria, which was also
destroyed. The Albergo Trinacria was not merely shaken down, it was
also burnt. It was my good fortune not to be on guard that night in
the hotel, otherwise I too should have died. The few who have
escaped have been brought to Catania naked, without a soldo. We are
sleeping in the Municipio, on the floor, with a rug, a piece of bread
and cheese and a glass of wine which the Municipio gives us. They
have made me a present of a shirt because, as the earthquake was at
five in the morning, everyone was asleep and they escaped just as
they were. You may imagine in what a condition I find myself, in
what misery, it is such that you will excuse my posting this letter
without a stamp, but I have not a centesimo to send you the news of
the disaster of Messina. On the post-card which you sent me you
speak of coming in the autumn, but there will be no more coming to
Messina.

Enough! I could tell you in detail of many misfortunes that have
overtaken me, but I have not the courage to write more.

I send you my respects. You will pardon me for being obliged to post
this without a stamp.

TOTO.

He gave me an address in Catania to which I wrote, and he replied 24th
January from Naples, where he and his family had been taken.

Then he left off writing and I thought I had heard the last of him. In
the spring of 1910 I went to Sicily again, and within an hour of arriving
at my hotel in Catania one of the waiters came up to me and said in a
friendly way: