view
of the bay and of Capri; then turn abruptly between walls overhung with
fig-trees and orange-trees and lemon-trees,--and you will reach Casa
Rolandi.

It is an enormous house, with a great arched entrance admitting to the
inner court, where on the wall is a Madonna's shrine, lamp-illumined of
evenings. A great staircase leads up from floor to floor. On each story
are two tenements, the doors facing each other. In 1878, one of the
apartments at the very top--an ascent equal to that of a moderate
mountain--was in the possession of a certain Signora Bassano, whose
name might be read on a brass plate. This lady had furnished rooms to
let, and here it was that Ross Mallard established himself for the few
days that he proposed to spend at Naples.

Already he had lingered till the few days were become more than a
fortnight, and still the day of his departure was undetermined. This
was most unwonted waste of time, not easily accounted for by Mallard
himself. A morning of sunny splendour, coming after much cloudiness and
a good deal of rain, plucked him early out of bed, strong in the
resolve that to-morrow should see him on the road to Amalfi. He had
slept well--an exception in the past week--and his mind was open to the
influences of sunlight and reason. Before going forth for breakfast he
had a letter to write, a brief account of himself addressed to the
murky little town of Sowerby Bridge, in Yorkshire. This finished, he
threw open the big windows, stepped out on to the balcony, and drank
deep draughts of air from the sea. In the street below was passing a
flock of she-goats, all ready to be milked, each with a bell tinkling
about her neck. The goat-herd kept summoning his customers with a long
musical whistle. Mallard leaned over and watched the clean-fleeced,
slender, graceful animals with a smile of pleasure. Then he amused
himself with something that was going on in the house opposite. A woman
came out on to a balcony high up, bent over it, and called, "Annina!
Annina!" until the call brought another woman on to the balcony
immediately below; whereupon the former let down a cord, and her
friend, catching the end of it, made it fast to a basket which
contained food covered with a cloth. The basket was drawn up, the women
gossiped and laughed for a while in pleasant voices, then they
disappeared. All around, the familiar Neapolitan clamour was beginning.
Church bells were ringing as they ring at Naples--a great cra