266 A HILL-TOP STRONGHOLD. 



railway or some navigable river. In Italy it is still quite 

 possible, where agricultural conditions are favourable, to 

 have a comparatively flourishing town perched upon 

 some out-of-the-way mountain height. Even a carriage 

 road is scarcely a necessity ; a mule path will do well 

 enough for wine and oil and the other simple commodities 

 of southern life. The hill-top town, in short, belongs to 

 an earlier type of civilisation than ours ; it survives, 

 unaltered, on its own pinnacle wherever that type of 

 civilisation is still possible. 



And I sincerely hope our pretty American friend will 

 pardon me for having thus publicly answered, at so great 

 length, her natural question. 



