“We’ll get another, if you like, girlie. But I won’t let you and Flo go alone in it. Snippy and I are to accompany you always hereafter. Why, first thing you knew you’d be back in Milan! But here we are at our hotel.”
The gondola turned softly round into a side canal which led past the steps of the Hotel Royal Danieli, and they all stepped out.
Patty soon learned the knack of gracefully balancing herself as she disembarked, but Flo was nervously uncertain of her steps.
“I don’t like the wabbly things!” she exclaimed, as she almost slipped upon the wet lower step of the hotel entrance.
“Oh,” said Nan, “you’ll get used to bobbling around in a day or two. They’re really lots easier to get into than your London ’buses.”
“Indeed they are,” said Patty. “I love ’em. I’m going to try to have water introduced into the New York streets. It’s the nicest sort of road.”
Then they all went into the beautiful hotel, which used to be the palace of a great Italian family.
The elaborate architecture and decorations, and many of the magnificent pieces of furniture were still there, and the grand staircase, with lights and palms and flowers, was an impressive sight.
“Well,” said Patty, “this makes ‘the grandeur that was Rome’ look like three United States dimes!”