s a source of pleasure to him to pay the poor
fellows their expected fees.
"Rollo," said Mr. George, "I am going to put the whole business of the
_buono manos_ into your hands."
"Good!" said Rollo. "I'll take the business if you will only give me the
money."
"How much will it require, Vittorio, for each day, to do the thing up
handsomely?" asked Mr. George.
Vittorio immediately began to make a calculation. He reckoned in
_pauls_, the money which is used most in the central parts of Italy. The
substance of his calculation was, that for the whole party about half a
dollar would be a proper sum to pay to the domestic at the hotel where
they stopped for the night, and a quarter of a dollar or less at noon.
Then there were chambermaids, ostlers, and drivers of extra horses or
oxen to help up the long hills, all of whom would like a small _buono
mano_. This would bring the amount up to about six francs, or a dollar
and a quarter a day, on the plan of doing the thing up handsomely, as
Mr. George had proposed.
"You mean to be generous with them, uncle George," said Rollo.
"Yes," said Mr. George. "In travelling in Italy, pay out liberally to
every body that renders you any service, but not a sou to beggars.
That's my rule."
"Besides," he continued, "it is good policy for us to be generous in
this case, for Mrs. Gray will pay two thirds of the money. So that you
and I, sitting in the coop, as you call it, will have all the pleasure
of the generosity, with only one third of the expense of it."
While Mr. George was saying this, he took his wallet out of his pocket,
and opened to the compartment of it which contained napoleons.
"Let us see," said he; "we shall be ten days on the way in going to
Naples, and Sunday makes eleven. Six francs a day for eleven days makes
sixty-six francs."
So saying, he took out three gold napoleons, for the sixty francs, and
six francs in silver, and handing the whole to Rollo, said, "There's the
money."
"But, uncle George," said Rollo, "I can't pay the _buono manos_ in
gold."
"No," said Mr. George; "you must get the money changed, of course."
"And what shall I get it changed into?" asked Rollo.
"I don't know, I'm sure," said Mr. George. "That's for you to find out.
We have three different kinds of currency between here and Naples. We
are now in Tuscany. After we get through Tuscany we come into the Roman
states, and after we get through the Roman states we shall come into
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