60 
A G1RA THROUGH SICILY. 
ation for her services. “Please your excellencies, I cooked 
breakfast for you !” “ The deuce you did ! how do you sup¬ 
pose we could eat it unless it was cooked ? Are people in 
the habit of eating breakfast raw at the Hotel de Parigi ?” 
“ No, signores, I cook it for them, and they always give me 
something for my trouble.” It was no use to rebel; the cook 
hung to us like a leech, and it was only by paying her three 
carlins that we could extricate ourselves from her clutches. 
“ Thank Heaven, we are done now !” was our involuntary 
exclamation, as we made our exit. “ Aspetto , signores,” said 
a voice behind, “you have forgotten th e facchino.” “The 
what ?” “ The porter, gentlemen.” “And pray what have 
you done for us ?” “I attend to the baggage, signores.” 
“ But we have no baggage here ; it is all in the diligence.” 
“ Ah, that makes no difference ; I could have carried it for 
you : I must live, you know, and this is all the pay I get to 
support a large family.” The claim was irresistible ; we re¬ 
belled at first, but it was no use, the facchino followed us till 
we had to give him a few baiocci to get rid of him. “Well, 
this beats Italy all hollow,” was our unanimous conclusion, 
as we took our respective seats in the diligence, and began to 
enjoy the luxuries of sunshine and cigars, after the storm 
through which we had passed. “ Buono mano ,” said our small 
postillion. “For what, you rascal?” “For driving you.” 
“But you did not drive us ; you were asleep all the time ; we 
won’t pay you !” However, we did pay him, after a great 
deal of talking. “ Drive on now,” shouted the Englishman. 
“ Andate!” roared the Portuguese. “Go ahead,” said I. 
“ Aspetta , senores,” cried the hostler ; “ buono mano for the 
hostler.” We threw the hostler a few carlins, and shouted, 
“Drive on, andate! go ahead again!” “Aspetta 7” cried 
the hostler, “ this is an extra diligence; extra diligences are 
always double price. Besides, it is two posts from Catania, 
and you have only paid for one change of horses.” “ Diabo- 
lo ,” roared the Portuguese, “ we have only had one change, 
and that has just been put in now.” “ Stunning business 
this,” said the Englishman. “ Done brown !” said I. “ True, 
senores, but you must pay for the half-way post.” “ There 
