THE DRIVE TO THE HOTEL.
AS the hotel to which the Darlings wished to go was located on one of
the city heights, commanding a fine view of the bay and famous old Mount
Vesuvius (about which our little couple had been told by Papa), the
drive there from the dock was of course long enough to let them see a
great many funny sights on the way, and you may be sure they were
greatly impressed by them all.
They saw men and women in queer costumes of gay colors--the women
without hats or bonnets--going about the streets, and sunning themselves
in the doorways, combing their children's heads or their own untidy
locks; they saw them hanging out their washing on the backs of chairs
right out in the street; they saw a _woman and a cow_ together pulling a
big wagon; they saw a wee bit of a _donkey_ harnessed with an _ox_, and
both tugging at a cart as placidly as though they weren't a funny pair;
they saw a cow, a horse, and a donkey, all three harnessed before a
vegetable-cart, on which sat a driver "not even as old as Teddy," the
children were sure, though he may have been older than he looked, as so
many of the poorer class of children in Naples are stunted in growth;
they saw a wee little bony donkey pulling a wagon which carried six big
men and women in it, and they didn't think it was a bit cruel to put so
heavy a burden on such a little beast. But our dear little
tender-hearted couple thought it so cruel that they could not even look
at it after the first glance.
They saw lots of little children in the street going about with great
beautiful bunches of flowers--red, red roses and Italian violets in
their dirty little hands, running after carriages, and holding their
fragrant wares up to the ladies and gentlemen who were driving about to
see the city. Polly wondered why the people didn't want to keep the
flowers, but kept shaking their heads _no_ all the time. She knew _she_
would keep them and say: "Thank you," very politely if any little girl
or boy offered her any.
And presently a small boy ran up to the carriage and held up his roses.
Now, it chanced that Mamma and Papa were very busy at that moment
searching for certain information in their guide-books, and so they did
not notice the little flower-boy, nor hear Miss Polly's delighted thanks
as she took the flowers in her eager hands. The carriage was going very
slowly, and the expectant little Italian trotted alongside waiting for
the coin which in her dear innocent heart Polly had no idea was wanted,
for she was whispering to Teddy: "I think these Napelers are very kind
and polite to us, don't you?" And she gravely proceed to divide her gift
with her "chum."
"_Una lira! una lira!_" whined the impatient lad outside, and at that
Mamma looked up and discovered Polly's funny mistake. How she laughed,
and Papa too! How red Polly's cheeks grew! Redder than her roses, which
she thought had been a polite gift to her.
"What does he mean?" Teddy asked, "saying all the time
'_ooner-leerer_'?"
"He means that he wants _one lira_ (which means twenty cents of our
money) for his roses," replied Mamma, "and I will let you give him the
money, dear," passing it to Teddy, who felt very much like a grown-up
man as he leaned over and dropped the price of Polly's beautiful roses
in the outstretched and very dirty little hand of the Italian.
"I don't think Napelers are so polite and kind as I did," said Polly
somewhat crossly, for, you see, she felt so astonished and so ashamed of
her mistake that it did make her a little cross with herself and the
circumstances.
[Illustration: "A small boy ran up to the carriage, and held up his
roses."]
However, when Teddy sweetly and with great gallantry pinned one of his
share of the roses to Polly's jacket, she smiled her crossness out of
sight, and everything was cheerful again. As they drove along the
children saw many other curious things, and stored them away in their
memories to talk over together and tell to their little friends at home.
Finally they arrived at the hotel, and were shown to their rooms, which
overlooked the bay.
Old Vesuvius, which had been through a state of fierce eruption (you all
know about volcanos, of course, and must have heard about Mount
Vesuvius, so that you will know what a volcanic eruption means, and I
need not explain it here) some time before this, was now settling down
into quite a calm state again, but that night after the sky had grown
dark our little couple noticed the dull red glow on the crater's head,
and saw little thin streaks of fire down upon the side of the mountain
nearest the bay; and Papa told them all about the famous old mountain
and its bad habits, and promised to take them to the ruins of the once
beautiful and ancient city of Pompeii (I shouldn't wonder if my little
readers had studied about it in their geographies), and tell them of the
way old Vesuvius went to work, long, _long, long_ ago to destroy the
city and its inhabitants by throwing lava and hot ashes down upon it, on
a day when everybody was happy, and careless, and little dreaming what
was coming to them all.
After looking out upon the shining waters of the bay, and seeing the
pretty reflection of the stars in them by-and-by, and listening to the
twinkling music of mandolins and the tuneful voices of the Italian
street-singers awhile, our little Teddy and Polly went sleepily to bed,
and never even had a dream, their slumber was so sound.