fine works are mixed up side by side with worthless things, that have been
preserved and not flung away simply from the spirit of conservatism
all-present in such creatures of habit as _messieurs les hommes_. There are
many pictures the long life of which is quite incomprehensible.

The house where Desdemona used to live is to let.




BOLOGNA,
March 28, 1891.


I am in Bologna, a town remarkable for its arcades, slanting towers, and
Raphael's pictures of "Cecilia." We are going on to-day to Florence.




FLORENCE,
March 29, 1891.


I am in Florence. I am worn out with racing about to museums and churches.
I have seen the Venus of Medici, and I think that if she were dressed in
modern clothes she would be hideous, especially about the waist.

The sky is overcast, and Italy without sun is like a face in a mask.