Carthage, and if you would allow me to ask you one or two questions--"

"Pray come in."

"Thanks. After you."

"After you," insisted Malipieri, standing aside.

They went in. Before shutting the postern, the porter looked out into
the street. It was almost deserted. Two men were standing together
near the corner, apparently arguing some question, and stopping in
their walk in order to talk more at their ease, as Romans often do.
The porter shut the little door with a clang, and went back to his
lodge. Malipieri and his visitor were already on the stairs.

Malipieri let himself in with a small latch-key, for he had ordered a
modern patent lock to be put on his door as soon as he moved into the
house. Masin appeared almost at once, however, and stood waiting for
his master at the door of the sitting-room, like a large, placid
mastiff. Malipieri nodded to him, and went in with Signor Bruni.

They sat down by the open window and Signor Bruni began to talk. In a
few minutes it became evident that whether the man knew anything of
the subject or not he had read everything that Malipieri had written,
and remembered most of it by heart. He spoke fluently and asked
intelligent questions. He had never been to Carthage, he said, but he
thought of making the trip to Tunis during the following winter. Yes,
he was a man of leisure, though he had formerly been in business; he
had a taste for archaeology, and did not think it was too late to
cultivate it, in a modest way, for his own pleasure. Of course, he