ranean and the Adriatic can be seen.

We occasionally went for sea-bathing to Viareggio, which is built on a
flat sandy beach. The loose sand is drifted by the wind into low
hillocks, and bound together by coarse grass thickly coated with silex.
Among this and other plants a lovely white amaryllis, the _Pancratium
Maritimum_, with a sweet and powerful perfume, springs up. We often
tried to get the bulb, but it lay too deep under the sand. One evening
we had gone a long way in search of these flowers, and sat down to rest,
though it was beginning to be dark. We had not sat many minutes when we
were surrounded by a number of what we supposed to be bats trying to get
at the flowers we had gathered, but at length we discovered that they
were enormous moths, which followed us home, and actually flew into the
room to soar over the flowers and suck the honey with their long
probosces. They were beautiful creatures with large red eyes on their
wings.

* * * * *

Our life at Florence went on pretty much as usual when all at once
cholera broke out of the most virulent kind. Multitudes fled from
Florence; often in vain, for it prevailed all through Tuscany to a great
extent. The terrified people were kneeling to the Madonna and making
processions, after which it was remarked that the number of cases was
invariably increased. The Misericordia went about in their fearful
costume, indefatigable in carrying the sick to the hospitals. The
devotion of that society was beyond all praise; the young and the old,
the artisan and the nobleman, went night and day in detachments carrying
aid to the sufferers, not in Florence only, but to Fiesole and the
villages round. We never were afraid, but we consulted Professor
Zanetti, our medical adviser, whether we should leave the town, which we
were unwilling to do, as we thought we should be far from medical
assistance, and he said, "By no means; live as usual, drive out as you
have always done, and make not the smallest change." We followed his
advice, and drove out every afternoon till near dark, and then passed
the rest of the evening with those friends who, like ourselves, had
remained in town. None of us took the disease except one of our
servants, who recovered from instant help being given.

The Marquis of Normanby was British minister at that time, and Lady
Normanby and he were always kind and hospitable to us. At her house we
became acquainted with Signora Barbie