Many of the outsides of Florence I seemed to know by heart—­the Palazzo Vecchio for instance.  But close by it Cellini’s two statues, the Judith and the Perseus, brought my heart up to my mouth unexpectedly.  The Perseus is so out of proportion as to be ludicrous from one point of view:  but another is magnificent enough to make me forgive the scamp his autobiography from now to the day of judgment (when we shall all begin forgiving each other in great haste, I suppose, for fear of the devil taking the hindmost!), and I registered a vow on the spot to that effect:—­so no more of him here, henceforth, but good!

There is not so much color about as I had expected:  and austerity rather than richness is the note of most of the exteriors.

I have not been allowed into the Uffizi yet, so to-day consoled myself with the Pitti.  Titian’s “Duke of Norfolk” is there, and I loved him, seeing a certain likeness there to somebody whom I—­like.  A photo of him will be coming to you.  Also there is a very fine Lely-Vandyck of Charles I. and Henrietta Maria, a quite moral painting, making a triumphant assertion of that martyr’s bad character.  I imagine he got into heaven through having his head cut off and cast from him:  otherwise all of him would have perished along with his mouth.

Somewhere too high up was hanging a ravishing Botticelli—­a Madonna and Child bending over like a wind-blown tree to be kissed by St. John:—­a composition that takes you up in its arms and rocks you as you look at it.  Andrea del Sarto is to me only a big mediocrity:  there is nothing here to touch his chortling child-Christ in our National Gallery.

At Pisa I slept in a mosquito-net, and felt like a bride at the altar under a tulle veil which was too large for her.  Here, for lack of that luxury, being assured that there were no mosquitoes to be had, I have been sadly ravaged.  The creatures pick out all foreigners, I think, and only when they have exhausted the supply do they pass on to the natives.  Mrs. T——­ left one foot unveiled when in Pisa, and only this morning did the irritation in the part bitten begin to come out.

I can now ask for a bath in Italian, and order the necessary things for myself in the hotel:  also say “come in” and “thank you.”  But just the few days of that very German table d’hote at Lucerne, where I talked gladly to polish myself up, have given my tongue a hybrid way of talking without thinking:  and I say “ja, ja,” and “nein,” and “der, die, das,” as often as not before such Italian nouns as I have yet captured.  To fall upon a chambermaid who knows French is like coming upon my native tongue suddenly.

Give me good news of your foot and all that is above it:  I am so doubtful of its being really strong yet; and its willing spirits will overcome it some day and do it an injury, and hurt my feelings dreadfully at the same time.

Walk only on one leg whenever you think of me!  I tell you truly I am wonderfully little lonely:  and yet my thoughts are constantly away with you, wishing, wishing,—­what no word on paper can ever carry to you.  It shall be at our next meeting!—­All yours.