CHAPTER XIII—UNEXPECTED VICISSITUDES OF TRAVEL
The visit in Naples extended itself into a week, as the girls needed to replenish their wardrobes after the earthquake, and Mr. Alexander thought it best to have a new spring for the car ordered to replace the one that had received such a strain in the ditch.
A new schedule had been studied, and the route outlined a few weeks before, was revised. Mr. Fabian said it would be best to go to Brindisi and from there cross the Ionian Sea and visit Athens, as long as they were so near. Then, from Athens, they could go to Pompeii and other famous places, and finally take a steamer back to Genoa.
“I’ll have to crate the cars, then, and ship them across country to wait for us at Genoa,” said Mr. Alexander.
“Let the men at the garage attend to it for you. We will be away about a week, or so, and by that time the cars will have been delivered at Genoa,” said Dodo.
“I should think it would save time and costs to send a chauffeur with each car, to leave them with a garage at Genoa,” suggested Mr. Fabian, so his idea was acted upon.
Everything was packed and the ladies were in the cars ready to start, when Mr. Fabian turned to look for Mr. Alexander. He was not there.
“Did anyone see him during the last ten minutes?” asked he.
“No, he carried my suit-case downstairs fifteen minutes ago, but he did not come back,” said Mrs. Alexander.
Mr. Fabian went to the hotel office again, and inquired of the clerk whether he had seen Mr. Alexander.