"O yes, it is Pompeii. I have heard much about it," the little Italian answered. "It is another of the wonderful sights in my country of which I am so proud."
The children passed slowly from one part of the museum to another. They examined the almonds, dates, and figs, which had been preserved so long. Some of them looked quite natural. There was a lady's toilet set that interested the girls very much.
There were blackened loaves of bread and cake from the baker's oven; there were beautiful lamps and golden jewelry,—all these things made for people suddenly overtaken by death nearly two thousand years ago!
It was hard to leave the museum.
"But there are other things to see yet, and we cannot spend too much time in one place," Mr. Gray told them as they walked homeward.
They stopped to buy some luscious yellow oranges and some ornaments of coral and lava at stands by the side of the street.
That very evening ponies were brought to the hotel door, and the party started out to climb the side of Vesuvius.
"I shouldn't think the people of Naples would feel safe to live so near a volcano," said Lucy. "Now that it is active again, it must make them think of the way Pompeii was destroyed. And Pompeii is several miles away, isn't it, father?"
"Yes, there was no more thought of danger at that time than we feel to-night. Perhaps not so much," he added, as he looked toward his wife.