Their return to the capital was timed to correspond very nearly with the departure of a steamer for the south. They had a day to spare, and devoted it to a few farewell calls, and a visit to the museum, to inspect some of its antiquities and other curiosities. They had already seen the collection, but their first visit was unsatisfactory, as it was on a day when the place was altogether too crowded for comfort in sight-seeing.
As they came out of the hotel on their way to the museum several urchins in the street were pelting each other with balls filled with water, one of which accidentally struck against Frank. The youth frowned and then laughed; for the moment he could not understand the situation, but suddenly remembered that it was "Intrudo Day."
The youths retreated to the balcony, and for half an hour watched the performance in the street. They were joined by the Doctor and a gentleman with whom they had become acquainted; the latter explained the Intrudo, which corresponds to the carnival of Italy in some respects, but differs widely from it in others.
"The Intrudo festival begins on the Sunday previous to Ash Wednesday," said their informant, "and lasts three days; the carnival has special reference to abstinence from eating flesh, but the Intrudo has no such significance. In the carnival of Naples and other Italian cities, dust, flowers, confectionery and its counterfeits, are the missiles used in the mimic combats, while the Intrudo is devoted to throwing balls filled with water, emptying small bags of flour and starch, and to playing jokes more or less practical in their nature.
"As you are strangers in the hotel you are exempted from the tricks connected with the Intrudo, but you must expect an occasional attention of the kind you have already experienced. When I rose this morning I found that one leg of my trousers had been sewn up near the bottom, and on placing my foot inside in the effort to dress myself half a dozen Intrudo balls were crushed. Fortunately I had some clothing in a trunk of which I alone held the key, and the trunk was in a locked closet in sole charge of my butler. All clothing that was accessible had been removed; it was probably done while I was busy late the previous evening in despoiling the apartment of a friend.
"Of the two boiled eggs I had for breakfast one was raw and the other hard enough to be used as a bullet; my tea was sweetened with salt; slices of boiled tongue were really pieces of soaked leather; and the cold chicken had evidently been run through a sewing machine, to judge by the number of threads in it. Pranks had been played with everything on the table; while you were laughing at the perplexities of your neighbor you found yourself the victim of a kindred deception.
INTRUDO SPORTS THIRTY YEARS AGO.