gates of Ghiberti, “worthy to be the gates of paradise,” and the choice collections of art in the Pitti Palace and the Uffizi Gallery connected by Porte Vecchio.  But Leo contented himself with the thought that when the yacht episode was over, and Harry Hall had passed out of sight, he could then take Lucille over Italy to enjoy a thousand-and-one works of art, including masterpieces by such artists as Michael Angelo, Raphael, Titian, Correggio, Guido, and others.

Lucille had studied art in Boston, and she was fond of Leo because he passionately loved art and could assist her.  She began to comprehend what Aristotle meant when he defined art as “the reason of the thing, without the matter,” or Emerson, “the conscious utterance of thought, by speech, or action, to any end.”

CHAPTER XXI

TWO UNANSWERED LETTERS

During the night the yacht “Hallena” had steamed down through the Channel Piombino, and the Tuscan Archipelago, studded with islands, and had passed Rome, the Eternal City.

“Naples cannot be far off,” thought Leo, for to the southeast is seen the smoking torch of Mt.  Vesuvius, southwest is the island of Ischia with its extinct volcano, and beyond is Cape Miseno.  The “Hallena” cautiously felt her way among the luxuriant islands that guard the broad and beautiful Bay of Naples and the Siren City.  Her passengers had ample opportunity to study the attractions of this justly celebrated locality.

Vesuvius, reflected in the smooth waters of the bay, lifts high her peak, the ascending smoke coloring the white clouds above.  At her feet lies ancient Hurculaneum, submerged on the 24th of August, A.D. 79, by a flood of molten lava.

Nearer the bay and only five miles from the volcano, is ancient Pompeii, which was overwhelmed by the same eruption of Vesuvius.  Pompeii was buried, not with lava, but with tufa, ashes and scoriae, and since 1755 has thus been the more easily and extensively uncovered.  This ancient Roman city was enclosed by walls and entered by several gates.  Its numerous streets were paved with lava.  The traveler of to-day beholds uncovered the one story and terraced houses, shops, mansions, the market place, temples, theatres, and baths.  In some of the houses were found furniture, statues, paintings, books, medals, urns, jewels, utensils, manuscripts, etc., all less injured than one would suppose.

Today more modern towns are located about the curved shore of this unrivaled bay.  The sparkling waters, the winding shore, the bold cliffs, the threatening lava cone, the buried cities, all combine under the bluest skies to make the Bay of Naples a Mecca for worshipers of the beautiful.

On the deck of the “Hallena” stood the group of American tourists, enchanted with the picturesque environment of historic Naples.  The city is built along the shore and up the sides of adjacent mountains.  A mole, with lighthouse, projects into the bay and forms a small harbor.