The Explanation Was That The Ascent Lay On The Further Slope;
We Began At Length To Climb The Back Of
The mountain, and here I
noticed with a revival of hope that there was a lull in the tempest;
rain
No longer fell so heavily; the clouds seemed to be breaking
apart. A beam of sunshine would have set me singing with joy. When
half-way up, my driver rested his horses and came to speak a word;
we conversed merrily. He was to make straight for the hotel, where
shelter and food awaited us - a bottle of wine, ha! ha! He knew the
hotel, of course? Oh yes, he knew the hotel; it stood just at the
entrance to the town; we should arrive in half an hour.
Looking upwards I saw nothing but a mass of ancient ruins, high
fragments of shattered wall, a crumbling tower, and great windows
through which the clouds were visible. Inhabited Squillace lay, no
doubt, behind. I knew that it was a very small place, without any
present importance; but at all events there was an albergo, and the
mere name of albergo had a delightful sound of welcome after such a
journey. Here I would stay for the night, at all events; if the
weather cleared, I might be glad to remain for two or three days.
Certainly the rain was stopping; the wind no longer howled. Up we
went towards those ragged walls and great, vacant windows. We
reached the summit; for two minutes the horses trotted; then a
sudden halt, and my lad's face at the carriage door.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 119 of 152
Words from 31356 to 31623
of 40398
