That was out of the
question, however, sorry as we were to disappoint him. He had to tuck
us into the carriage the following day, and let us drive away and
leave him bereft of his charges. "You shall have a good ride," were
his parting words, kind and fatherly as he was to the last; and so we
had. But we found no one again to care for us so tenderly as our
old friend, nor did any one take us to the theatre throughout the
remainder of the journey. G.H.
VENETIAN CAFFES.
It is years since so lovely an autumn as that of 1874 has been seen
in Europe: people say not since the last great comet year, and they
credit the erratic visitor of last summer with the exceptional beauty
of the weather. As in the case of other marked comet years, the
vintages of which still bring extraordinary prices, Italy has had
exceptionally fine harvests of all kinds this year. The grain has been
abundant, the vintage has been superb, the olives have escaped the
danger of unseasonable frosts, and the still more important crop of
foreigners seems to be pretty well assured. The charming weather in
October and November made the interesting blossoms sprout plentifully;
and boat-loads and train-loads came in with an abundance promising an
unusually fine winter for _la bella Italia_. Venice, indeed, may be
said to have pretty well housed her crop in this kind already. It has
been a magnificent one, and the Queen of the Adriatic admits that due
homage has been done to her.
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