Part 18 (2/2)

At last, however, they came to the place where Copley had seen the whips. Copley had plenty of money, but I do not know how he would have managed to buy one of the whips, if Rollo had not been with him; for the man who had them to sell could only speak French and Italian, and Copley did not know either of these languages. He had been studying French, it is true, for several years in school, but he had taken no interest in learning the language, and the little knowledge of it which he had acquired was not of such a character as to be of any use to him. As to the Italian, he knew nothing at all of it.

Accordingly, Rollo acted as interpreter.

”I might have brought our courier with us,” said Copley, ”only it is such a bore to have him about; and you do just as well.”

After having bought the whip, Copley proposed that they should go to the diligence office and see if there were any diligences there about setting out on their journeys. The diligence office which Copley referred to was not in the Corso, but in another street, at right angles to it. When the boys reached the office, they found that there were no diligences there; so they rambled on without much idea of where they were going, until at length they came to the river, near one of the bridges leading across it. A short distance below the bridge, there was a small steamboat coming up the river.

”Ah, look there!” said Copley. ”There's a steamer coming! Where do you suppose that steamer is coming from?”

”It is coming from Ostia, I suppose,” said Rollo. ”At any rate, I know that there is a steamer that goes to Ostia.”

”Let us go there,” said Copley. ”Where is Ostia?”

”It is at the mouth of the river,” said Rollo. ”You may know that from the name. _Ostia_ is the Latin word for _mouth_.”

”I hate Latin,” said Copley.

The little steamer came rounding up to a pier not far below the bridge.

Copley and Rollo leaned over the parapet, and looked to see the pa.s.sengers get out; but there were very few pa.s.sengers to come. The boys then went down towards the pier, and on inquiring of a gentleman whom they saw there, they found that the boat went down the river to Ostia every morning, and returned every night, and Copley immediately conceived the idea of going down in her.

”Let's go down to-morrow,” said he. ”It is just far enough for a pleasant sail.”

Rollo's imagination was quite taken with the idea of sailing down to Ostia. There seems to be something specially attractive to boys in the idea of sailing down to the mouths of rivers. It is so pleasant to watch the gradual widening of the stream, and to meet vessels coming up, and to see the fishermen's boats, and the nets spread on the land, and the little inlets, with the tide flowing in and out, and other indications of the approach towards the sea. Besides, Rollo wished very much to see what sort of a place Ostia was.

However, he would not positively promise to go. He said he should like to go very much, but that he could not decide the question until he should go home.

”I must see uncle George first,” said Rollo. ”It is possible that he may have formed some engagement for me to-morrow.”

”O, never mind what engagement he has formed,” said Copley. ”Tell him that you can't go with him, because you have agreed to go down the river with me.”

”No,” said Rollo, shaking his head.

”Why, what a little fool you are!” said Copley.

After remaining some time on the bridge, looking at the steamer, the boys returned home. Rollo took care to arrive at the hotel before the two hours were expired. Mr. George had just finished his letter, and was folding it up and sealing it.

”Well, Rollo,” said Mr. George, ”have you had a pleasant walk?”

”Very pleasant, indeed,” said Rollo. ”We walked in the Corso till Copley had bought his whip, and then we went on till we came to the bridge, and there we saw a steamboat which goes to Ostia and back. Copley wants me to go down with him in her to-morrow. We shall get back about this time, I suppose.”

Mr. George was at this time just writing the address on the back of his letter. He did not say any thing, but Rollo observed a very slight and almost imperceptible shaking of his head.

”You don't like the plan very well, uncle George,” said Rollo.

”Not very well,” said Mr. George. ”I feel a little afraid of it.”

”Then it is of no consequence,” said Rollo. ”I don't care a great deal about going.”

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