ok, looked up at the
professor with a laugh. "If this Roman Empire doesn't come to an end
soon, I shall have to buy a new note-book," she said.

Rafael laughed, too. "You will need a whole library of books to hold
all the history of the Roman Empire," he told her.

"Are we going to hear it all?" Edith asked anxiously.

"No," replied Professor Gates, "there is little more for me to tell
to-day. After the death of Constantine there were many more terrible
wars with the barbarians. At last the fierce Goths crossed the Alps
and marched down to the very walls of Rome. They besieged the city,
burst in by surprise, killed hundreds of the people, and destroyed
many of the buildings. As they also were Christians, they spared the
churches and all who took refuge in them."

"I have heard of the Goths," said Edith, "and of the Vandals, too.
Where did they come from?"

"They came over from Africa, captured Rome, and remained here fourteen
days, destroying the buildings and sacking the city. They carried away
whole ship-loads of booty, and took many of the Romans to be their
slaves.

"The Roman Empire had already been divided into two parts, and
Constantinople was the capital of the Empire of the East. The Bishop
of Rome, who was called the Pope, now became the ruler of the Empire
of the West. He succeeded to the throne of the deposed emperor, and
held this position of power until 1870, when Victor Emanuele I. was
made king of Italy."

"Viva l'Italia!" said Rafael, tossing up his cap.

"Don't toss up your cap like that," Edith reproved him. "Those little
beggars may think you are tossing it for them. Ecco!" she called to
the boys, and threw a few coins to the funny little fellows who ran
along beside the carriage, begging for coppers even while they stood
on their heads.

"I can buy photographs of all your famous ruins," she said to
Professor Gates, as she pointed her camera at the heap of boys
scrambling in the road for the coins, "but I shall always like best my
own pictures of these happy little Italian children."

CHAPTER XV

MERRY NAPLES

Rafael wrote his mother joyful accounts of those happy days in Rome.

And he saw the king! It happened upon an afternoon when all Rome,
dressed in gayest costumes for one of the festivals, crowded into open
carriages and drove out to the Villa Borghese.

In the shade of a great tree, where a living spring bubbles up from
the ground, Rafael twisted a leaf into a cup, w