Italians, however, are used to this from travellers of a certain
description. They never resent such conduct, but simply put it down
in the bill with the other articles. Mrs. Greene's words on this
occasion were innocent enough, seeing that they were English; but had
I been that head waiter who came down to the beach with his nice black
shiny hair, and his napkin under his arm, I should have thought her
manner very insolent.

Indeed, as it was, I did think so, and was inclined to be angry with
her. She was to remain for some time at Bellaggio, and therefore it
behoved her, as she thought, to assume the character of the grand lady
at once. Hitherto she had been willing enough to do the work, but now
she began to order about Mr. Greene and Sophonisba; and, as it
appeared to me, to order me about also. I did not quite enjoy this;
so leaving her still among her luggage and satellites, I walked up to
the hotel to see about my own bed-room. I had some seltzer water,
stood at the window for three or four minutes, and then walked up and
down the room. But still the Greenes were not there. As I had put in
at Bellaggio solely with the object of seeing something more of
Sophonisba, it would not do for me to quarrel with them, or to allow
them so to settle themselves in their private sitting-room, that I
should be excluded. Therefore I returned again to the road by which
they must come up, and met the procession near the house.

Mrs. Greene was leading it with great majesty, the waiter with the
shiny hair walking by her side to point out to her the way. Then came
all the luggage,--each porter carrying a white canvas-covered box.
That which was so valuable no doubt was carried next to Mrs. Greene,
so that she might at a moment's notice put her eye upon the well-known
valuable rent. I confess that I did not observe the hole as the train