I sent you by post from Rome, on Wednesday last, a little story for the
Christmas number, called "The Schoolboy's Story." I have an idea of
another short one, to be called "Nobody's Story," which I hope to be
able to do at Venice, and to send you straight home before this month is
out. I trust you have received the first safely.
Edward continues to do extremely well. He is always, early and late,
what you have seen him. He is a very steady fellow, a little too bashful
for a courier even; settles prices of everything now, as soon as we come
into an hotel; and improves fast. His knowledge of Italian is painfully
defective, and, in the midst of a howling crowd at a post-house or
railway station, this deficiency perfectly stuns him. I was obliged last
night to get out of the carriage, and pluck him from a crowd of porters
who were putting our baggage into wrong conveyances--by cursing and
ordering about in all directions. I should think about ten substantives,
the names of ten common objects, form his whole Italian stock. It
matters very little at the hotels, where a great deal of French is
spoken now; but, on the road, if none of his party knew Italian, it
would be a very serious inconvenience indeed.
Will you write to Ryland if you have not heard from him, and ask him
what the Birmingham reading-nights are really to be? For it is
ridiculous enough that I positively don't know. Can't a Saturday Night
in a Truck District, or a Sunday Morning among the Ironworkers (a fine
subject) be knocked out in the course of the same visit?
If you should see any managing man you know in the Oriental and
Peninsular Company, I wish you would very gravely mention to him from me
that if they are not careful what they are about with their steamship
_Valetta_, between Marseilles and Naples, they will suddenly find that
they will receive a blow one fine day in _The Times_, which it will be
a very hard matter for them ever to recover. When I sailed in her from
Genoa, there had been taken on board, _with no caution in most cases
from the agent, or hint of discomfort_, at least forty people of both
sexes for whom there was no room whatever. I am a pretty old traveller
as you know, but I never saw anything like the manner in which pretty
women were compelled to lie among the men in the great cabin and on the
bare decks. The good humour was beyond all praise, but the natural
indignation very great; and I was repeatedly urged to stand up for the
public in "Household Words," and to write a plain description of the
facts to _The Times_. If I had done either, and merely mentioned that
all these people paid heavy first-class fares, I will answer for it that
they would have been beaten off the station in a couple of months. I did
neither, because I was the best of friends with the captain and all the
officers, and never saw such a fine set of men; so admirable in the
discharge of their duty, and so zealous to do their best by everybody.
It is impossible to praise them too highly. But there is a strong desire
at all the ports along the coast to throw impediments in the way of the
English service, and to favour the French and Italian boats. In those
boats (which I know very well) great care is taken of the passengers,
and the accommodation is very good. If the Peninsula and Oriental add to
all this the risk of such an exposure as they are _certain_ to get (if
they go on so) in _The Times_, they are dead sure to get a blow from the
public which will make them stagger again. I say nothing of the number
of the passengers and the room in the ship's boats, though the frightful
consideration the contrast presented must have been in more minds than
mine. I speak only of the taking people for whom there is no sort of
accommodation as the most decided swindle, and the coolest, I ever did
with my eyes behold.
Kindest regards from fellow-travellers.
Ever, my dear Wills, faithfully yours.
[Sidenote: Miss Hogarth.]