raying the cost of the
journey. "It is taken altogether on our behalf," said Sir Marmaduke.
Hugh became red in the face, looked angry, and muttered a word or two
about Trevelyan being the oldest friend he had in the world,--"even
if there were nothing else." Sir Marmaduke felt ashamed of
himself,--without cause, indeed, for the offer was natural,--said
nothing further about it; but appeared to be more stiff and ungainly
than ever.

The Bradshaw was had out and consulted, and nearly half an hour
was spent in poring over that wondrous volume. It is the fashion
to abuse Bradshaw,--we speak now especially of Bradshaw the
Continental,--because all the minutest details of the autumn tour,
just as the tourist thinks that it may be made, cannot be made patent
to him at once without close research amidst crowded figures. After
much experience we make bold to say that Bradshaw knows more, and
will divulge more in a quarter of an hour, of the properest mode of
getting from any city in Europe to any other city more than fifty
miles distant, than can be learned in that first city in a single
morning with the aid of a courier, a carriage, a pair of horses, and
all the temper that any ordinary tourist possesses. The Bradshaw was
had out, and it was at last discovered that nothing could be gained
in the journey from London to Siena by starting in the morning.
Intending as he did to travel through without sleeping on the road,
Stanbury could not do better than leave London by the night mail
train, and this he determined to do. But when that was arranged, then
came the nature of his commission. What was he to do? No commission
could be given to him. A telegram should be sent to Emily the next
morning to say that he was coming; and then he would hurry on and
take his orders from her.

They were all in doubt, terribly in doubt, whether the aggravated
malady of which the telegram spoke was malady of the mind or of the
body. If of the former nature then the difficulty might be very great
indeed; and it would be highly expedient that Stanbury should have
some one in Italy to assist him. It was Nora who suggested that he
should carry a letter of introduction to Mr. Spalding, and it was she
who wrote it. Sir Marmaduke had not foregathered very closely with
the English Minister, and nothing was said of assistance that should
be peculiarly British. Then, at last, about three or four in the
morning came the moment for parting. Sir Marmaduke had