or an hour or two, thinking, I suppose,
as I gazed upon the turbulent flood, of brave Horatius disdainfully
escaping from the serried hosts of Lars Porsena and false Sextus, or
of Caesar and Cassius buffeting the torrent on a "dare," and with lusty
sinews flinging it aside. There were also lovely effects of dawn upon
the dome of St. Peter's, and the redoubtable mass of St. Angelo, with
its sword-sheathing angel. Moreover, sunrise, at twelve years of age, is
an exhilarating and congenial phenomenon. And I painted my experiences
in colors so attractive that our Ada Shepard was inflamed with the idea
of accompanying me on my rambles. She was a child in heart, though so
mature in intellect, and her spirit was valiant, though her flesh was
comparatively infirm. It was my custom to set out about five o'clock
in the morning, and Miss Shepard promised to be ready at that hour.
But after keeping awake most of the night in order not to fail of the
appointment, she fell asleep and dreamed only of getting up; and, after
waiting for her for near an hour, I went without her. She was
much mortified at her failure, and suggested a plan to insure her
punctuality, in which I readily agreed to collaborate. When she went to
bed she attached a piece of string to one of her toes, the other end of
the filament being carried underneath doors and along passages to my own
room. I was instructed to haul in on my slack at the proper hour; and
this I accordingly did, with good-will, and was at once made conscious
that I had caught something, not only by the resistance which my
efforts encountered, but by the sound of cries of feminine distress and
supplication, heard in the distance. However, my companion appeared in
due season, and we took our walk, which, she declared, fulfilled all the
anticipations which my reports had led her to form.

Nevertheless, I cannot remember that we ever again made the expedition
together; it is a mistake to try to repeat a perfect joy.

It seems to me that I must have been a pretty constant visitor at St.
Peter's. The stiff, heavy, leathern curtain which protects the entrance
having been strenuously pushed aside (always with remembrance of
Corinne's impossible act of grace and courtesy in holding it aside
with one hand for Lord Neville), the glorious interior expanded, mildly
radiant, before me. As has been the case with so many other observers,
the real magnitude of the spectacle did not at first affect me; the
cha