“My son, he is in America; he worked on the Brooklyner Bridger. You have seen it, yes?”
“We have seen it many times, we have even crossed it.”
This brought us all very near together. Putting his hand into his pocket the mercante di campagna brought out a fistful of rice, which he presented to me.
“Behold a sample of the rice I am taking to Naples to sell.”
Not knowing exactly what else to do with it, I tied the rice in a corner of my pocket handkerchief. He next handed me the Corriere di Napoli, two days old. The first thing in the newspaper that caught my eye was an advertisement of the Società Napoletana di Navigazione a Vapore. “The steamer for Ischia sails at eleven o’clock; return tickets eight francs.”
We were due in Naples at ten, the train for Rome left at three! Five hours in Naples, which has for us but three resources: the museum, the aquarium, the antiquarians! It was the day
Ischia
From a photograph