ws; and wings had been thrown
out with terraced roofs, suites of rooms opening out upon them; each
floor being provided with airy sitting rooms and music rooms. Here were
to be heard at least a hundred American voices discussing the
experiences and plans of their owners. The men lounged in the hall or at
the bar, or sat smoking on the rows of leather chairs under the
colonnade, or were under the hands of barbers or haircutters in an airy
open saloon devoted to these uses. When I retreated upstairs to collect
myself, a lady was making the corridors ring close by as she screamed at
a piano in the middle of an admiring and criticising crowd. Dear as the
Americans are to me, and welcome in most places as is the sound of those
same sweet voices, one had not come to Havana for this. It was necessary
to escape somewhere, and promptly, from the discord of noises which I
hoped might be due to some momentary accident. The mail company's agent,
Mr. R----, lived in the hotel. He kindly found me out, initiated me in
the mysteries of Cuban paper money, and giving me a tariff of the fares,
found me a cab, and sent me out to look about me.

My first object was the cathedral and the tomb of Columbus. In Catholic
cities in Europe churches stand always open; the passer-by can enter
when he pleases, fall on his knees and say his silent prayers to his
Master whom he sees on the altar. In Havana I discovered afterward that,
except at special hours, and those as few as might be, the doors were
kept locked and could only be opened by a golden key. It was carnival
time, however; there were functions going on of various kinds, and I
found the cathedral happily accessible. It was a vast building, little
ornamented, but the general forms severe and impressive, in the style of
the time of Philip II., when Gothic art had gone out in Spain and there
had come in the place of it the implacable sternness which expresses the
very genius of the Inquisition. A broad flight of stone steps led up to
the great door. The afternoon was extremely hot; the curtains were
thrown back to admit as much air as possible. There was some function
proceeding of a peculiar kind. I know not what it was; something
certainly in which the public had no interest, for there was not a
stranger present but myself. But the great cathedral officials were busy
at work, and liked to be at their ease. On the wall as you entered a box
invited contributions, as _limosna por el Santo Padre