dozen times since Titian's day; not a
scrap of the original stone or plaster may remain; but beyond a doubt
the view that we saw from the window is the same that Titian saw.
Now, for the first time, I could understand and appreciate the
landscape-backgrounds of his pictures. The compact masses of mountains,
the bold, sharp forms, the hanging rocks of cold gray emerging from
green slopes, the intense blue aerial distances--these all had seemed
to be unreal and imaginary--compositions of the studio. But now I
knew that, whether Titian painted out-of-doors, like our modern
impressionists, or not, he certainly painted what he had seen, and
painted it as it is.

The graceful brown-eyed boy who showed us the house seemed also to
belong to one of Titian's pictures. As we were going away, the
Deacon, for lack of copper, rewarded him with a little silver piece,
a half-lira, in value about ten cents. A celestial rapture of surprise
spread over the child's face, and I know not what blessings he invoked
upon us. He called his companions to rejoice with him, and we left them
clapping their hands and dancing.

Driving after one has dined has always a peculiar charm. The motion
seems pleasanter, the landscape finer than in the morning hours. The
road from Cadore ran on a high level, through sloping pastures, white
villages, and bits of larch forest. In its narrow bed, far below, the
river Boite roared as gently as Bottom's lion. The afternoon sunlight
touched the snow-capped pinnacle of Antelao and the massive pink wall of
Sorapis on the right; on the left, across the valley, Monte Pelmo's vast
head and the wild crests of La Rochetta and Formin rose dark against the
glowing sky. The peasants lifted their hats as we passed, and gave us a
pleasant evening greeting. And so, almost without knowing it, we slipped
out of Italy into Austria, and drew up before a bare, square stone
building with the double black eagle, like a strange fowl split for
broiling, staring at us from the wall, and an inscription to the effect
that this was the Royal and Imperial Austrian Custom-house.

The officer saluted us so politely that we felt quite sorry that his
duty required him to disturb our luggage. "The law obliged him to open
one trunk; courtesy forbade him to open more." It was quickly done; and,
without having to make any contribution to the income of His Royal and
Imperial Majesty, Francis Joseph, we rolled on our way, through the
hamlets of Acqu