ourselves, had been in Italy only a few hours. He called for us in
his gondola, and in the row across from the Giudecca we amused
ourselves by calling to mind the various Italian words or phrases
with which we were familiar. They were mostly titles of arias or
songs, but Jack insisted, notwithstanding Salemina's protestations,
that, properly interlarded with names of famous Italians, he could
maintain a brilliant conversation with me at table, to the envy and
amazement of our neighbours. The following paragraph, then, was
our stock in trade, and Jack's volubility and ingenuity in its use
kept Salemina quite helpless with laughter:-


Guarda che bianca luna--Il tempo passato--Lascia ch' io pianga--
Dolce far niente--Batti batti nel Masetto--Da capo--Ritardando--
Andante--Piano--Adagio--Spaghetti--Macaroni--Polenta--Non e ver--
Ah, non giunge--Si la stanchezza--Bravo--Lento--Presto--Scherzo--
Dormi pura--La ci darem la mano--Celeste Aida--Spirito gentil--Voi
che sapete--Crispino e la Comare--Pieta, Signore--Tintoretto--
Boccaccio--Garibaldi--Mazzini--Beatrice Cenci--Gordigiani--Santa
Lucia--Il mio tesoro--Margherita--Umberto--Vittoria Colonna -Tutti
frutti--Botticelli--Una furtiva lagrima.


No one who has not the privilege of Jack Copley's acquaintance
could believe with what effect he used these unrelated words and
sentences. I could only assist, and lead him to ever higher
flights of fancy.

We perceive with pleasure that our mother tongue presents equal
difficulties to Italian manufacturers and men of affairs. The so-