The Man Who Kept His Money In A Box | Page 8

it; but if the lesson
be true, the Italians ought to be the healthiest and wealthiest and wisest
of all men and women. Three or four o'clock seems to them quite a
natural hour for commencing the day's work. Why we should have
started from Chiavenna at four o'clock in order that we might be kept
waiting for the boat an hour and a half on the little quay at Colico, I
don't know; but such was our destiny. There we remained an hour and a
half; Mrs. Greene sitting pertinaciously on the one important box. She
had designated it as being smaller than the others, and, as all the seven
were now ranged in a row, I had an opportunity of comparing them. It
was something smaller,--perhaps an inch less high, and an inch and a
half shorter. She was a sharp woman, and observed my scrutiny. "I
always know it," she said in a loud whisper, "by this little hole in the
canvas," and she put her finger on a slight rent on one of the ends. "As
for Greene, if one of those Italian brigands were to walk off with it on
his shoulders, before his eyes, he wouldn't be the wiser. How helpless
you men are, Mr. Robinson!"
"It is well for us that we have women to look after us."
"But you have got no one to look after you;--or perhaps you have left
her behind?"
"No, indeed. I'm all alone in the world as yet. But it's not my own fault.
I have asked half a dozen."
"Now, Mr. Robinson!" And in this way the time passed on the quay at
Colico, till the boat came and took us away. I should have preferred to
pass my time in making myself agreeable to the younger lady; but the
younger lady stood aloof, turning up her nose, as I thought, at her
mamma.
I will not attempt to describe the scenery about Colico. The little town
itself is one of the vilest places under the sun, having no
accommodation for travellers, and being excessively unhealthy; but
there is very little either north or south of the Alps,--and, perhaps, I
may add, very little elsewhere,--to beat the beauty of the mountains

which cluster round the head of the lake. When we had sat upon those
boxes that hour and a half, we were taken on board the steamer, which
had been lying off a little way from the shore, and then we commenced
our journey. Of course there was a good deal of exertion and care
necessary in getting the packages off from the shore on to the boat, and
I observed that any one with half an eye in his head might have seen
that the mental anxiety expended on that one box which was marked by
the small hole in the canvas far exceeded that which was extended to all
the other six boxes. "They deserve that it should be stolen," I said to
myself, "for being such fools." And then we went down to breakfast in
the cabin.
"I suppose it must be safe," said Mrs. Greene to me, ignoring the fact
that the cabin waiter understood English, although she had just ordered
some veal cutlets in that language.
"As safe as a church," I replied, not wishing to give much apparent
importance to the subject.
"They can't carry it off here," said Mr. Greene. But he was innocent of
any attempt at a joke, and was looking at me with all his eyes.
"They might throw it overboard," said Sophonisba. I at once made up
my mind that she could not be a good-natured girl. The moment that
breakfast was over, Mrs. Greene returned again up-stairs, and I found
her seated on one of the benches near the funnel, from which she could
keep her eyes fixed upon the box. "When one is obliged to carry about
one's jewels with one, one must be careful, Mr. Robinson," she said to
me apologetically. But I was becoming tired of the box, and the funnel
was hot and unpleasant, therefore I left her.
I had made up my mind that Sophonisba was ill-natured; but,
nevertheless, she was pretty, and I now went through some little
manoeuvres with the object of getting into conversation with her. This I
soon did, and was surprised by her frankness. "How tired you must be
of mamma and her box," she said to me. To this I made some answer,
declaring that I was rather interested than otherwise in the safety of the
precious trunk. "It makes me sick," said Sophonisba, "to hear her go on
in that way to a perfect stranger. I heard what she said about her
jewellery."
"It is natural she should be anxious," I said,