‘The day after our arrival,’ continued the postilion, ’I was sent, under the guidance of a lackey of the place, with a letter, which the priest, when he left, had given us for a friend of his in the Eternal City.  We went to a large house, and on ringing were admitted by a porter into a cloister, where I saw some ill-looking, shabby young fellows walking about, who spoke English to one another.  To one of these the porter delivered the letter, and the young fellow, going away, presently returned and told me to follow him; he led me into a large room where, behind a table on which were various papers and a thing which they call, in that country, a crucifix, sat a man in a kind of priestly dress.  The lad having opened the door for me, shut it behind me, and went away.  The man behind the table was so engaged in reading the letter which I had brought, that at first he took no notice of me; he had red hair, a kind of half-English countenance, and was seemingly about five-and-thirty.  After a little time he laid the letter down, appeared to consider a moment, and then opened his mouth with a strange laugh, not a loud laugh, for I heard nothing but a kind of hissing deep down the throat; all of a sudden, however, perceiving me, he gave a slight start, but, instantly recovering himself, he inquired in English concerning the health of the family, and where we lived:  on my delivering him a card, he bade me inform my master and the ladies that in the course of the day he would do himself the honour of waiting upon them.  He then arose and opened the door for me to depart.  The man was perfectly civil and courteous, but I did not like that strange laugh of his after having read the letter.  He was as good as his word, and that same day paid us a visit.  It was now arranged that we should pass the winter in Rome—­to my great annoyance, for I wished to return to my native land, being heartily tired of everything connected with Italy.  I was not, however, without hope that our young master would shortly arrive, when I trusted that matters, as far as the family were concerned, would be put on a better footing.  In a few days our new acquaintance, who, it seems, was a mongrel Englishman, had procured a house for our accommodation; it was large enough, but not near so pleasant as that we had at Naples, which was light and airy, with a large garden.  This was a dark gloomy structure in a narrow street, with a frowning church beside it; it was not far from the place where our new friend lived, and its being so was probably the reason why he selected it.  It was furnished partly with articles which we bought, and partly with those which we hired.  We lived something in the same way as at Naples; but though I did not much like Naples, I yet liked it better than this place, which was so gloomy.  Our new acquaintance made himself as agreeable as he could, conducting the ladies to churches and convents, and frequently passing the afternoon drinking with the