d Venice a lovely exit.
One soon tires of it, and is ready to leave, which is an excellent
arrangement, though I should prefer to depart in some more cheerful
vehicle than a hearse,' observed Lavinia, as they left the long, black
gondola at the steps of the station.

'Haven't you a sigh for those lovely lakes, a tear for Albano, a pang of
regret for Rome?' asked Amanda, hoping to wring one moan for Italy from
the old lady.

'Not a sigh, not a tear, not a regret. I find I like them all better the
farther I get from them, and by the time I am at home I may be able to
say "I adore them," but I doubt it,' returned the incorrigible Livy, and
from that moment Amanda regarded her Granny as one dead to all the dear
delusions of antiquity.

VI.

_LONDON._

'From this moment I cease to be the commander-in-chief. Livy adores
England, can speak the language, understands the money, and knows all
about London; so _she_ shall be leader, and I will repose after my long
labour.' With this remark Amanda retired from office covered with glory,
and her mates voted to erect a statue in her honour as a token of their
undying gratitude.

Lavinia took the lead from the moment they landed at St. Catherine's
Warf; and though somewhat demoralized by a rough passage of eighteen
hours from Antwerp, was equal to the occasion. She did love England, and
thought London the most delightful city in the world, next to Boston.
Its mud and fog were dear to her; its beef and beer were nectar and
ambrosia, after the continental slops and messes; its steady-going,
respectable citizens, beautiful in her eyes, and the words 'home' and'
comfort' were not an idle mockery here.

Therefore the old lady joyfully sniffed the smoky air, gazed with
tenderness on the grimy houses, and cast herself, metaphorically
speaking, into the arms of a stout, ruddy-faced porter, as if at last
she had found a man and a brother.

Nobly did the burly Briton repay her confidence and earn the shilling
which in England makes all things possible. He bore them to the station,
got tickets, checked luggage, put the ladies in a first-class
compartment, gave them all necessary directions about the hotel they
were after, and when the bell rang touched his cap with a smile upon his
dear, red face, which caused Lavinia to add a sixpence to the shilling
she gave him with a mental blessing.

'This is truly a decent country. See how well one is cared for, how
civil everybody is,