Here was a situation.  A hotel would require pay in advance —­I must walk the street all night, and perhaps be arrested as a suspicious character.  There was but one way out of the difficulty—­I flew back to the church, and softly entered.  There stood the old woman yet, and in the palm of the nearest one still lay my gold piece.  I was grateful.  I crept close, feeling unspeakably mean; I got my Turkish penny ready, and was extending a trembling hand to make the nefarious exchange, when I heard a cough behind me.  I jumped back as if I had been accused, and stood quaking while a worshiper entered and passed up the aisle.

I was there a year trying to steal that money; that is, it seemed a year, though, of course, it must have been much less.  The worshipers went and came; there were hardly ever three in the church at once, but there was always one or more.  Every time I tried to commit my crime somebody came in or somebody started out, and I was prevented; but at last my opportunity came; for one moment there was nobody in the church but the two beggar-women and me.  I whipped the gold piece out of the poor old pauper’s palm and dropped my Turkish penny in its place.  Poor old thing, she murmured her thanks—­they smote me to the heart.  Then I sped away in a guilty hurry, and even when I was a mile from the church I was still glancing back, every moment, to see if I was being pursued.

That experience has been of priceless value and benefit to me; for I resolved then, that as long as I lived I would never again rob a blind beggar-woman in a church; and I have always kept my word.  The most permanent lessons in morals are those which come, not of booky teaching, but of experience.

CHAPTER XLVIII [Beauty of Women—­and of Old Masters]

In Milan we spent most of our time in the vast and beautiful Arcade or Gallery, or whatever it is called.  Blocks of tall new buildings of the most sumptuous sort, rich with decoration and graced with statues, the streets between these blocks roofed over with glass at a great height, the pavements all of smooth and variegated marble, arranged in tasteful patterns—­little tables all over these marble streets, people sitting at them, eating, drinking, or smoking—­crowds of other people strolling by—­such is the Arcade.  I should like to live in it all the time.  The windows of the sumptuous restaurants stand open, and one breakfasts there and enjoys the passing show.

We wandered all over the town, enjoying whatever was going on in the streets.  We took one omnibus ride, and as I did not speak Italian and could not ask the price, I held out some copper coins to the conductor, and he took two.  Then he went and got his tariff card and showed me that he had taken only the right sum.  So I made a note—­Italian omnibus conductors do not cheat.

Near the Cathedral I saw another instance of probity.  An old man was peddling dolls and toy fans.  Two small American children and one gave the old man a franc and three copper coins, and both started away; but they were called back, and the franc and one of the coppers were restored to them.  Hence it is plain that in Italy, parties connected with the drama and the omnibus and the toy interests do not cheat.