The others comprised a silent young artisan who was evidently desperately
in earnest with his ideas, a red-haired, red-bearded Tuscan of clever and
astute aspect, a singularly alert and excitable-looking young man of
asymmetrical features, who looked half fanatic, half criminal, and others
of the labouring and peasant class. One other of their number arrested my
attention, a stupid, sleepy young man, who seemed quite unaffected by the
many vicissitudes of his journey. His features were undefined and his
complexion undefinable, very greasy and suggestive of an unwholesome
fungus. He was better dressed than his companions, and from this fact,
combined with his intonation, I gathered that he belonged to the leisured
classes. There was something highly repellent about his smooth yellow
face, his greasiness and limp, fat figure. M'Dermott christened him the
"Buttered muffin."

Dinner over, the one-eyed baker, Beppe, proceeded to give us their news,
and to recount the vicissitudes of their travels. Gnecco and Giannoli were
anxious for news of comrades left behind in Italy. So-and-so was in
prison, another had remained behind in Switzerland, a third had turned his
coat, and was enjoying ill-gotten ease and home, others were either dead
or lost to sight.

The present party, who were mostly Northern Italians, had left Italy
shortly after Giannoli and Gnecco, and had since spent several weeks in
Italian Switzerland, whence at last they had been expelled in consequence
of the circulation of an Anarchist manifesto. Beppe gave a glowing account
of their stay in Lugano, and consequent flight to London. "You know," he
said, "that I reached Lugano with two hundred francs in my pocket in
company with all these comrades who hadn't got five francs among them. It
is not every one who could have housed them all, but I did. I could not