Part 6 (1/2)

”Italian?” asked Rollo.

”No,” said the boy, ”not at all. All I know of Italian is _grazia_.”[4]

[Footnote 4: p.r.o.nounced _gratzia_.]

”What does that mean?” asked Rollo.

”It means, Thank you,” said the boy.

”He must be a German boy, I think,” said Rollo to himself.

After pausing a moment, Rollo ventured to ask the boy what his name was.

”Charles Beekman,” said the boy. He p.r.o.nounced the name in so English a fas.h.i.+on, that Rollo perceived at once that he must speak English, so he changed from French to English himself, and said,--

”So you are an English boy.”

”No,” said Charles, ”I'm an American boy.”

Rollo here laughed outright, to think how much trouble they had both been taking to speak to each other in French, each supposing the other to be some outlandish foreigner, when, after all, they were both Americans, and could talk perfectly well together in their own mother tongue. Such adventures as these, however, are very frequently met with, in travelling in foreign countries.

After finding that they could both speak English, the two boys talked with each other like old friends, for some minutes; and at length finding that the pillar between them was very much in the way, Charles, with his mother's permission, moved his seat round to Rollo's side of it, Rollo himself moving to the next chair, to make room for him. Mrs.

Beekman readily consented to this, having first observed that Rollo appeared to be a boy of agreeable and gentlemanly manners and demeanor.

When Mr. George at length came down, he was at first quite surprised to find that Rollo had thus obtained a companion; but before the breakfast was completed, he had become quite well acquainted with the Beekman family himself. Towards the end of the breakfast Rollo said that he was going out to take a walk, and he asked Mrs. Beekman to let Charles go with him. Mr. George was going to finish some letters in his room, and was then going to the post office and to the bankers, where Rollo did not particularly wish to go.

”It will be better for you and me to go out and take a walk by ourselves,” said he to Charles, ”if your mother is willing.”

”Yes,” said Mrs. Beekman, ”I am willing. Only you must take care and not get lost.”

”O, no,” said Rollo; ”I'll take care of that. Besides, if we should get lost, I know exactly what to do.”

”What would you do?” asked Mr. Beekman.

”I would just take a carriage,” replied Rollo, ”and order the coachman to drive right to the hotel.”

”Very good,” said Mr. Beekman, ”that would do very well.”

Accordingly, after breakfast Mr. George went to his room to finish his letters, while Rollo and Charlie set out on their walk, to see what they could see of Rome.

Rollo's plan of taking a carriage, in case of getting lost in a strange city, and ordering the coachman to drive to the hotel, is a very excellent one; but one thing is quite essential to the success of it, and that is, that the person lost should know the name of his hotel.

Unfortunately, Rollo was going out without this requisite. Neither he himself nor Mr. George had observed the name of the hotel where the coachman whom they had employed, on their arrival, had finally left them; and in going out Rollo forgot to observe what it was. He did not even take notice of the name of the street. He did observe, however, that the hotel had a small open s.p.a.ce, like a square, before it, with a fountain on one side. The water from the fountain flowed into a small stone basin, with curious figures sculptured on the side of it.

”Let us go and look at this basin,” said Charles, ”and see if it would not be a good place for us to sail little boats.”

The basin was in a cool and pleasant place, being overshadowed by the drooping branches of a great tree. Rollo, however, did not wish to stay by it long.

”Let us go now and see the streets of Rome,” said he; ”we can come out and look at this basin at any time.”

So the two boys walked along, paying little attention to the direction in which they were going.