Shawl-Straps

Shawl-Straps, by Louisa M. Alcott

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Title: Shawl-Straps A Second Series of Aunt Jo's Scrap-Bag
Author: Louisa M. Alcott
Release Date: July 9, 2007 [EBook #22022]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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SHAWL-STRAPS.
A Second Series
OF
AUNT JO'S SCRAP-BAG.
BY
LOUISA M. ALCOTT,
AUTHOR OF 'LITTLE WOMEN,' 'AN OLD-FASHIONED GIRL,' 'LITTLE MEN,' 'HOSPITAL SKETCHES.'
LONDON: SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON & COMPANY LIMITED, St. Dunstan's House, FETTER LANE, FLEET STREET, E.C.
1895.
All rights reserved.
LOW'S STANDARD SERIES OF BOOKS BY POPULAR WRITERS.
Small crown 8vo. cloth gilt, 2s.; gilt edges, 2s. 6d. each
1. ALCOTT, L. M. Little Men. 2. WHITNEY, Mrs. Hitherto. 3. SAMUELS. Forecastle to Cabin. Illustrated. 4. ROBINSON, P. In my Indian Garden. 5. ALCOTT, L. M. Little Women and Little Women Wedded. 6. WHITNEY, Mrs. We Girls. 7. ---- The other Girls: a Sequel. 8. ALDEN, W. L. Jimmy Brown. 9. ALCOTT, L. M. Under the Lilacs. Illustrated. 10. ---- Jimmy's Cruise. 11. ROBINSON, PHIL. Under the Punkah. 12. ALCOTT, L. M. An Old-Fashioned Girl. 13. ---- A Rose in Bloom. 14. ---- Eight Cousins. Illustrated. 15. ---- Jack and Jill. 16. ---- Lulu's Library. Illustrated. 17. ---- Silver Pitchers. 18. ---- Work and Beginning Again. 19. WHITNEY, Mrs. Leslie Goldthwaite. 20. ---- Faith Gartney's Girlhood. 21. ---- Real Folks. 22. STOWE, Mrs. Dred. 23. ---- My Wife and I. 24. DE WITT, Madame. An Only Sister. 25. ALCOTT, L. M. Aunt Jo's Scrap Bag. 26. ---- Shawl Straps. 27. STOWE, Mrs. Ghost in the Mill. 28. BUNYAN, JOHN. Pilgrim's Progress (Extra volume), gilt, 2s. 29. STOWE, Mrs. We and Our Neighbours. 30. SAINTINE. Picciola. 31. HOLM, SAXE. Draxy Miller's Dowry. 32. SANDEAU, JULES. Seagull Rock. 33. WARNER, C. D. In the Wilderness. 34. ---- My Summer in a Garden. 35. ALCOTT, L. M. Spinning-wheel Stories. 36. ALDEN, W. L. Trying to find Europe. 37. WHITNEY, Mrs. The Gayworthys. 38. TOOLEY, Mrs. Life of Mrs. Stowe. 39. ROE, E. P. Nature's Serial Story. 40. ALCOTT. Recollections. 41. STOWE, H. B. Minister's Wooing.
* * * A New Illustrated List of Books for Boys and Girls, with Portraits of Celebrated Authors, sent post free on application.
London: SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON & COMPANY, LTD., St. Dunstan's House, Fetter Lane, Fleet Street, E.C.

PREFACE.
There is a sort of fate about writing books of travel which it is impossible to escape. It is vain to declare that no inducement will bribe one to do it, that there is nothing new to tell, and that nobody wants to read the worn-out story: sooner or later the deed is done, and not till the book is safely shelved does peace descend upon the victim of this mysterious doom.
The only way in which this affliction may be lightened to a long-suffering public is to make the work as cheerful and as short as possible. With this hope the undersigned bore has abstained from giving the dimensions of any church, the population of any city, or description of famous places, as far as in her lay; but confined herself to the personal haps and mishaps, adventures and experiences, of her wanderers.
To explain the undue prominence given to Miss Lavinia, it should be stated that she is an old and intimate friend of the compiler of this frivolous work; and therefore her views on all subjects, though less valuable, were easier to obtain than those of the younger and more interesting shawl-strappists.
L. M. A. November 1872.

CONTENTS.
PAGE I. OFF 1
II. BRITTANY 24
III. FRANCE 92
IV. SWITZERLAND 175
V. ITALY 205
VI. LONDON 265

SHAWL-STRAPS.

I.
OFF.
'On the first day of February we three will sail from Boston for Messina, in the little fruit-ship "Wasp." We shall probably be a month going, unless we cross in a gale as I did, splitting sails every night, and standing on our heads most of the way,' said Amanda, folding up her maps with an air of calm decision.
'Hurrah! what fun!' cried Matilda, waving a half-finished dressing-case over her head.
But Lavinia, with one sepulchral groan, fell flat upon her bed, and lay there, dumb with the horrors of such a voyage.
'Just the thing for you, my poor old dear. Think of the balmy airs of Sicily, the oranges, the flowers. Then a delicious month or two at Sorrento, with no east winds, no slush, no spring cleaning. We shall be as merry as grigs, and get as buxom as dairy-maids in a month,' said the sprightly Amanda.
'You promised