"He lived here in a hut made of mud, with a thatched roof.
"That was the beginning of this wonderful city, so the people will tell you."
Tessa nodded her head; she and Beppo had heard the story before, and fully believed it to be true.
"How long ago do they say all this happened, father?" asked Lucy.
"They claim that Rome was built 753 years before the birth of Christ. If it is now 1,903 years since his birth, how many years old is Rome?"
"Let me see: 753 and 1,903 are 2,656. It was 2,656 years ago. Whew! what a long time," said Arthur. "Many things have happened since then."