y futile and inane babbling that emanated from the
journalist and his sister. These two appeared to have a somewhat
extensive circle in Naples; they exchanged greetings with most of their
fellow-eaters. Some of these were really comparatively reputable; quite
a number were very gaily attired, and most seemed light of heart.

The journalist, after finishing his wine and his inexpensive cigar,
announced himself obliged to depart in pursuit of business.

'I must catch them driving out. They are sure to drive out, you know.'

His sister said she too would come, and catch them driving out.

So they went out into the street and sauntered leisurely along it. Its
screaming, gay business was a little hushed at this hour of the hot
September day; behind closed green shutters people shunned the
vertically striking sun; the heavy noon brooded over what was almost,
for Naples, stillness. It was not, had the representative of _Marchese
Peppino_ considered the question, in the least likely that he would at
this hour 'catch them driving out.' He very likely did not particularly
care whether he so caught them or not; he liked to walk about the
streets; neither he nor his sister minded the glare and the hot, baked
smell that beat up into their faces. They had an air of very leisurely
sweet temper and content with life as it was lived as they sauntered
along the Toledo together. There were two things it was manifest that
they would not in any circumstances do: they would quarrel with no one,
and they would take no thought for the morrow.

'I wonder,' the journalist was saying, 'if Luli would lend us twenty
francs. Think he would, Betty?'

He spoke in English now; they always spoke English to each other when
they were alone together, though they seemed quite equally at their ease
in both languages; they also stammered equally in both. They stammered
when they were at all excited, or earnest, or tired, and very often when
they were not. When they were talking, these hiatuses were often the
only opportunities their companions had of getting in a word edgeways.

Betty thought it improbable that Luli would lend any such sum.

'You know, Tommy, we had ten from him last month. He won't miss it if
we don't remind him, but it would be silly to bother him again just
yet.'

'Oh, all right. But I'm afraid we've rather got to get some somehow.
We've spent an awful lot lately. Why did we have lunch to-day? We didn't
want it.'

'Who's been bo