e must have been a pupil of Canova's or Thorwaldsen's
when Somerville and I were first at Rome. Now his fame was as great as
that of either of his predecessors.

* * * * *

[In spring we went to Naples for a few weeks, and returned to Rome
by the San Germano road, now so familiar to travellers, but then
hardly ever frequented, as it was extremely unsafe on account of the
brigands. We met with no adventures, although we often reached our
night quarters long after sunset, for my mother sketched a great
deal on the road. We travelled by vetturino and continued this
delightful journey to Como. My mother was a perfect travelling
companion, always cheerful and contented and interested in all she
saw. I leave her to tell of our pleasant residence at Bellaggio in
her own words:--]

* * * * *

We remained only a short time at Florence, and then went for a month to
Bellaggio, on the Lake of Como, at that time the most lonely village
imaginable. We had neither letters, newspapers, nor any books, except
the Bible, yet we liked it exceedingly. I did nothing but paint in the
mornings, and Somerville sat by me. My daughters wandered about, and in
the evening we went in a boat on the lake. Sometimes we made longer
excursions. One day we went early to Menaggio, at the upper end of the
lake. The day had been beautiful, but while at dinner we were startled
by a loud peal of thunder. The boatmen desired us to embark without
delay, as a storm was rising behind the mountains; it soon blew a gale,
and the lake was a sheet of foam; we took shelter for a while at some
place on the coast and set out again, thinking the storm had blown over,
but it was soon worse than ever. We were in no small danger for two
hours. The boatmen, terrified, threw themselves on their knees in prayer
to the Madonna. Somerville seized the helm and lowered the sail and
ordered them to rise, saying, the Madonna would help them if they helped
themselves, and at last they returned to their duty. For a long time we
remained perfectly silent, when one of our daughters said, "I have been
thinking what a paragraph it will be in the newspapers, 'Drowned, during
a sudden squall on the lake of Como, an English family named Somerville,
father, mother and two daughters.'" The silence thus broken made us
laugh, though our situation was serious enough, for when we landed the
shore was crowded w