Florence, _May 2nd_.
Dear Mr. S.,--We have been here a week, and I feel I really must write
and thank you for what I can see is going to be the most lovely holiday.
It was ripping of you to let us come--for _sending_ us, in fact. I can't
think why more people don't do it--I mean travel when they can't afford
it. Perhaps it is that all bankers aren't so good-natured as you are. I
shall tell all my friends to come to you in future. Of course I shall
only recommend the conscientious ones. _We_ are being frightfully
conscientious. For instance, when we arrived we purposely didn't go to a
hotel some friends of ours were at because it was two francs a day
dearer than one we found in _Baedeker_--though as I told Fred I don't
believe you'd have grudged us the two francs a bit. The only thing I
have on my conscience a little is that in Paris, where we stayed three
days on our way out, we _did_ go to rather good restaurants. But I had
never been to Paris before, and I thought, when you knew that, you would
quite approve, because first impressions are everything, aren't they? It
is rather as if you were an invisible host everywhere we go. "Of course
you will have a liqueur with your coffee, Mrs. Merrison?" I hear you say
after dinner; and really, Grand Marnier (_cordon jaune_) _is_ heavenly,
isn't it?
Then we came on here, and, do you know, "The Birth of Venus" nearly made
me cry when I first saw it, it's so beautiful. I shall never forget that
it was you who introduced me to it, so to speak.
And isn't Pisa jolly?
Oh, there's just one other thing I wanted to tell you. Before we came
away we gave a little farewell dinner to one or two of our most intimate
friends. It came out of the travelling money; and I do feel you ought to
have been asked too, when you were really our host. But you see I don't
know you _very_ well (except through your actions), and I thought that
just possibly you might have felt a little out of it. But I want you
very much to come and dine with us one night when we are home again. I
think it is time we knew each other ever so much better.
Well, no more now as we are off to lunch. (How ridiculously cheap food
is in Italy, isn't it?) We shall be home in three weeks, I expect. I
wish we could stay longer, especially as it's really cheaper to stay
here than to come home, now we _are_ here. But we mustn't put too much
strain on your hospitality.
Yours always gratefully, Isabel Merrison.
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