Rollo in Rome | Page 2

it, all the
rules and regulations of the service. The different seats in the several
compartments of the coach are numbered, and the prices of them are
different. Rollo went so early to engage the passage for himself and Mr.
George that he had his choice of all the seats. He took Nos. 1 and 2 of
the coupé. He paid the money and took the receipt. When he got home,
he sat down by the window, while Mr. George was finishing his
breakfast, and amused himself by studying out the rules and regulations
printed on the back of his ticket. Of course they were in Italian; but
Rollo found that he could understand them very well.
"If we are not there at the time when the diligence starts, we lose our
money, uncle George," said he. "It says here that they won't pay it back
again."
"That is reasonable," said Mr. George. "It will be our fault if we are not
there."
"Or our misfortune," said Rollo; "something might happen to us."
"True," said Mr. George; "but the happening, whatever it might be,
would be our misfortune, and not theirs, and so we ought to bear the
loss of it."
"If the baggage weighs more than thirty rotolos, we must pay extra for
it," continued Rollo. "How much is a rotolo, uncle George?"
"I don't know," said Mr. George, "but we have so little baggage that I
am sure we cannot exceed the allowance."
"The baggage must be at the office two hours before the time for the
diligence to set out," continued Rollo, passing to the next regulation on
his paper.
"What is that for?" asked Mr. George.
"So that they may have time to load it on the carriage, they say," said
Rollo.

"Very well," said Mr. George, "you can take it to the office the night
before."
"They don't take the risk of the baggage," said Rollo, "or at least they
don't guarantee it, they say, against unavoidable accidents or superior
force. What does that mean?"
"Why, in case the diligence is struck by lightning, and our trunk is
burned up," replied Mr. George, "or in case it is attacked by robbers,
and carried away, they don't undertake to pay the damage."
"And in case of smarrimento," continued Rollo, "they say they won't
pay damages to the amount of more than nine dollars, and so forth;
what is a smarrimento, uncle George?"
"I don't know," said Mr. George.
"It may mean a smash-up," said Rollo.
"Very likely," said Mr. George.
"Every traveller," continued Rollo, looking again at his paper, "is
responsible, personally, for all violations of the custom-house
regulations, or those of the police."
"That's all right," said Mr. George.
"And the last regulation is," said Rollo, "that the travellers cannot
smoke in the diligence, nor take any dogs in."
"Very well," said Mr. George, "we have no dogs, and we don't wish to
smoke, either in the diligence or any where else."
"They are very good regulations," said Rollo; and so saying, he folded
up the paper, and put it back into his wallet.
On the evening before the day appointed for the journey, Rollo took the
valise which contained the principal portion of his own and his uncle's
clothes, and went with it in a carriage to the office. Mr. George offered

to accompany him, but Rollo said it was not necessary, and so he took
with him a boy named Cyrus, whom he had become acquainted with at
the hotel.
The carriage, when it arrived at the diligence station, drove in under an
archway, and entered a spacious court surrounded by lofty buildings.
There was a piazza, with columns, all around the court. Along this
piazza, on the four sides of the building, were the various offices of the
different lines of diligences, with the diligences themselves standing
before the doors.
"Now, Cyrus," said Rollo, "we have got to find out which is our
office."
But Rollo was saved any trouble on this score, for the coachman drove
the carriage directly to the door of the office for Rome. Rollo had told
him that that was his destination, before leaving the hotel.
There was a man in a sort of uniform at the door of the office. Rollo
pointed to his valise, and said, in Italian, "For Rome to-morrow
morning." The man said, "Very well," and taking the valise out of the
carriage, he put it in the office. Then Rollo and Cyrus got into the
carriage again, and rode away.
The next morning Mr. George and Rollo went down to breakfast before
six o'clock. While they were eating their breakfast, the waiter came in
with a cold roast chicken upon a plate, which he set down upon the
table.
"Ah!" said Mr. George, "that