d the Canon, completely stupefied.

"Absolutely authentic."

The Canon made a gesture of resignation and looked at Don Calixto in
astonishment.

While Caesar was telling the story, the carriage had passed down a
narrow and rather deserted street, called Borgo Vecchio, in whose
windows clothes were hanging out to dry, and then they came out in
the Piazza di San Pietro. They drove around one edge of this enormous
square. The sky was blue. A fountain was throwing water, which changed
to a cloud in the air and produced a brilliant rainbow.

"One certainly wonders," said Caesar, "if Saint Peter's is not one of
the buildings in the worst taste that exist in the world."

They got out in front of the steps.

"Your friend is probably well up on archeological matters?" asked
Caesar.

"Who? Don Justo? Not in the least."

Caesar began to laugh, went up the steps ahead of the others, lifted the
leather curtain, and they all three went into Saint Peter's. _THERE IS
NO PERFORMANCE_

Caesar began his explanations with the plan of the church. The Canon
passed his hand over all the stones and kept saying:

"This is marble too," and adding, "How expensive!"

"Do you like this, Don Calixto?" Caesar asked.

"What a question, man!"

"Well, it is obviously very rich and very sumptuous, but it must give a
fanatic coming here from far away the same feeling a person gets when
he has a cold and asks for a hot drink and is given a glass of iced
orgeat."

"Don't let Don Justo hear you," said Don Calixto, as if they ought to
keep the secret about the orgeat between the two of them.

They came to the statue of Saint Peter, and Caesar told them it is the
custom for strangers to kiss its foot. The Canon piously did so, but
Don Calixto, who was somewhat uneasy, rubbed the statue's worn foot
surreptitiously with his handkerchief and then kissed it.

Caesar abstained from kissing it, because he said the kiss was
efficacious principally for strangers.

Then they went along, looking at the tombs of the Popes. Caesar was
several times mistaken in his explanations, but his friends did not
notice his mistakes.

The thing that surprised the Canon most was the tomb of Alexander
VII, because there is a skeleton on it. Don Calixto stopped with most
curiosity before the tomb of Paul III, on which one sees two nude women.
Caesar told them that popular legend claims that one of these statues,
the one representing Justice, is Julia Farnese, sis