“Isn’t he great?” whispered Patty to Flo, as they were released, and allowed to go forward.
“Yes, indeed. I never saw anyone who knows so well how to make sight-seeing instructive, without being a bore.”
“Inside the church,” said Peter, as they were about to enter, “you may wander and wonder as you please. I’ve no word to say, for it’s too big to talk about as a whole, and we haven’t time now to discuss its parts. So look about you as you like, and crane your necks up at the dome, or admire the frantic allegories on the walls, as you prefer.”
“I want to see St. Peter’s statue,” said Patty, “but I don’t want to kiss his toe.”
“Here it is,” said Homer, leading her to the great bronze statue. As they looked at it, many visitors approached, and kissed the bronze toe, which, owing to the height of the pedestal is just about at the level of a person’s head.
Invariably the devotee wiped off the toe with his handkerchief, before setting his lips to the sacred shrine, and Patty was amazed to find, on a closer inspection, that the great bronze toe was nearly all worn away.
“But it isn’t worn by the kisses,” said Patty; “it’s worn by the handkerchiefs!”
“That’s true,” said Peter; “and it’s a good plan to use a handkerchief, but I think it’s a better plan to omit the osculation entirely.”
“So do I,” agreed Patty, “but what a lot of people have dabbed at it to wear away that solid bronze!”
“They have indeed. Now I’ll show you some of the other statues.”