Rollo in Rome

amb

, and then the first thing that we will do, will be t

said Mr. George. "We had it at two o'clo

, "that was our sup

st. You may go down and order it as soon as you are read

I order?"

please," sai

airs, and looking about in the entrance hall, he saw a d

o himself, "thi

is room, with prices marked upon them, as if they were for sale, and also a number of very pretty specimens of marble, and inlaid paper weights, and models of columns, temples, and ruins of various kinds, and other such cur

base to the summit. These sculptures represented figures of men and horses, sometimes i

lo to himself. "Perhaps I shall find it some time or other, when I am

t in. He found himself ushered into a dining room, with a long table extending up and down the centre of it. There was a row of massive columns on each side of the table,

boy,-all dressed in such a manner as to give them a foreign air. The gentleman was speaking to the waiter in French when Rollo passed by the p

ext beyond the pillar. Of course th

breakfast. He asked in French. Rollo gave an order for breakfast

sir," said

the other boy was peeping at him from behind the pillar. The boy laughed when he c

is way, in a few minutes the two boys began to feel quite acquainted with each other, without, however, having spoken a word. They would, perhaps, have continued t

ollo,-of course speaking French

he boy, "but

, "he cannot be a French boy.

n?" ask

t at all. All I know of

that mean?"

hank you," s

n boy, I think," sa

Rollo ventured to ask th

glish a fashion, that Rollo perceived at once that he must speak

re an Eng

rles, "I'm an

ng the other to be some outlandish foreigner, when, after all, they were both Americans, and could talk perfectly well together

tween 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

uite 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 Charl

ut and take a walk by ourselves," said he

I am willing. Only you must

e of that. Besides, if we should ge

ou do?" asked

eplied Rollo, "and order the coac

r. Beekman, "that w

om to finish his letters, while Rollo and Charlie set

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 n

Charles, "and see if it would not be a

vershadowed by the drooping branches of a great tre

of Rome," said he; "we can come out

ying little attention to the dir

reets pretty soon," said Rollo, "an

ean by that?"

ething else that is remarkable where we come out into the street, a

s, "that will be a

hops were for the sale of models, specimens of marbles, Etruscan vases, mosaics, cameos, and other such things which are sold to visitors in Rome. The number of mosaics and cameos

of mosaics and cameo

cs and cameos?"

cisely the meaning of these words, I will here explain to th

e and black. We will suppose that the white extends half through the thickness of the stone, and that the remaining part of t

ign may be the figure of a man. Then he cuts away all the white of the stone except the figure; and the result is, that he has the

ch color on the inside, and white towards the outside. In such a case, the figures of the

ell and in stone. The figures are very nicely drawn, and are very beautifu

at a table. On one side was a small painting on a card, which was his model. He was copying this painting in mosaic. The bits of glass that he was working with were in the form of slender bars, not much larger than a stiff bristle. They were of all imaginable colors-the several colors being each kept by itself, in the divisions of a box on the table

ing the pieces for the whole design, he should grind off the surface so as to make

ce, or at least that the gradations of hue would be sharp and harsh in their effect. But it is not so. The pieces are so small, and the different shades succeed each other s

shop that were quite large. They were framed like pictures, and were hanging up against the wall. Indeed, there was nothing but the circumstance that they were in a mosaic sho

ming into the churches and looking at these pictures, never imagine them to be mosaics, and when they are told that they are so, they can scarcely believe the story. But on ex

different colored stones in a pavement, or in a floor, so as to represent some ornamental design, would naturally be the first attempt at decoration made in the construction of buildings. Then would follow casing the walls with different colored marbles, ar

om their appearance that they were visitors that had just arrived in town, and though he did not expect that they would buy any of his mosaics themselves, he thought that there might be ladies in their party who would come and buy, if he treated the boys poli

o ladies of my p

r party?" aske

g gentleman,

ell. He will certainly wish to buy mosaics, while he is i

l," said Rollo; "but neverthe

bade the mosaic man g

the little show cases along the street, that Rollo forgot entirely his resolve to take an observation, so as not to lose his way. The boys walked on together until they came to a long and straight, though not ver

straight line from the Porto del Popolo, which I have already described, into the very heart of

t, for the sidewalks, where there were any, were so narrow and irregular as to be of very little service. Indeed, almost all the pedestrians walked i

ance, Charles began to look

you sure that we can fi

"but never mind; I can find it easily enough.

know," sa

one of surprise. "Don't know the nam

me last night, and I don't know

eet that it is

said C

er a desponding tone, "I do

e of the street, in their surprise and alarm, were obliged to run quick to get out of the way. The carri

carriage," said Rollo, wh

know?" ask

f the pope, and the chief officers of his government are the cardinals; and uncle George told me that they ride about

wo, until it had gone some distance away,

inding our way h

a carriage when we want to go home, so we may as well go on and have our

otel, that he exclaimed at once that it was the same. It had a spiral line of sculptures winding round and round it, from the base to the summit. The figures, however, were very much corroded

ollo, "in a little room at the hotel. It is

ay's Guide Book in his hand, and who Rollo knew, by that circumstance, w

leman; "it is the c

answer, which turned his attempt to show off h

called the column

s observation, but quietly took out an opera glass from a case, which was s

d Charles w

aid Rollo, "for I saw the name of it on the model at

s the same column?

iral line of images going round and round it, and a statue on the top. See,

build it for?

id Rollo, looking a little puzz

rles, "in a big column standing all by it

rejoined Rollo. "Don't you see, t

don't see any sense in making the column so tall as

ey often made tall columns,

came to another open space, where there was a sec

perhaps this is the

ng them are two with spiral lines of sculpture around them, which are extremely similar to each othe

fferent exploits. The statue upon the top of the column was, originally, that of the man in whose honor the column was erected. But in th

. In the bottom of this sunken space was a pavement, which looked very old, and rising from it were rows

ruin or other," said Ro

Charles, "why they built t

I," sa

or us to begin to try to find our way home. I don

or even the name of the street," said R