They paused before several of the best sculptures, and Mr. Homer told their history in a short, simple way. Patty enjoyed it all, and even Milly seemed to be interested. The others staid to listen, or drifted away and came wandering back, as the fancy took them.
Perhaps Snippy appreciated Mr. Homer’s talk more than any of the others, for she was well versed in artistic lore, but she remained quietly in the background, and let the young people chatter by themselves. As they left the church, they found it had turned cloudy, and the sky showed decided appearance of almost immediate rain.
“Just the thing!” cried Mr. Homer. “I’ve been waiting for a good shower. Jump into the ’bus.”
They scrambled in, thinking they were about to return to the hotel, but Peter told the driver to go to the Pantheon.
“Why, it’s going to rain,” said Patty.
“I know it; that’s why we’re going to the Pantheon. Its roof leaks.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Just what I say. Have you been to the Pantheon?”
“No, not yet. Why?”
“Well, as you perhaps know, it’s open at the top. There’s a hole twenty-six feet across, and as the Pantheon has no umbrella, it rains in.”