At first I thought that M— was chaffing; but having now been joined by R— and C—, who at once chimed in on the same subject, I said,
"Have you any idea about Lapland, my dear M—, do you know anything about it? and what do you expect to see there?"
"Oh, dear me, yes," replied he, "it is a country in the North of Europe, surrounded on all sides either by land or by water, and inhabited by men who are four feet six high, and the darlingest little women just four feet nothing. They go to church on Sundays, riding on reindeer, and shoot Polar bears with bows and arrows! Oh dear, yes, I know all about Lapland."
"Not at all a bad account," said I, "but what writes Captain Hutchinson in his book? Is his description of Lapland very captivating?"
"Well," answered M—, "I confess I have not read his book; but go abroad I must, London is getting too stupid, and I have been everywhere else in Europe; and I want to see a country out of the beaten track, something I have not yet seen."
"Now, my dear fellow," said I, "though I have not been exactly in Lapland, I have been in Finland, and that, you know, is just next door to it; and knowing what the mosquitoes are in those swampy northern latitudes, nothing could induce me to visit those countries again in Summer, except for very cogent reasons indeed. But come now, tell me where have you been, that you say you have seen every other country in Europe?"
"Well," answered M—. "I have been twice to Italy, up and down, and done it as thoroughly as any man could do it. I have been—"
"Stop a wee," said I, "how have you done Italy? let me see, suppose we just begin in the middle, let us take Florence—no doubt you were there."
"Oh dear, yes, and such a jolly place, where one could live and love for ever! oh, yes,
"'Of all the fairest cities of the world,