"it's too bad!"

"i want my money to buy post-cards!"

"it's absolute blackmail!"

the guides, no longer smiling and obliging, but clamoring loudly for extra money, were finally settled with by miss morley, who knew the customs of[151] the country, and was aware that they would be quite content with less than half of what they had asked.

"it's always the way in naples," she said philosophically, as she thankfully bundled her flock into the funicular. "you can't get along anywhere without tipping. the government may try its best to arrange fixed prices, but every one who goes sightseeing must be prepared to part with a good deal in the way of small change. the guides are not such brigands as they used to be, thank goodness. thirty or forty years ago i suppose it was hopeless to come unless you brought a courier with you from naples to keep the others off. well, you have your little souvenirs of vesuvius at any rate, even if they've turned out rather expensive ones. they're something to keep, aren't they?"

"i wouldn't have given up mine if they'd asked me twenty dollars for it," declared peachy, fondling the nickel coin set in the lump of lava.

"i don't understand the neapolitans," frowned irene. "one minute they're so charming and persuasive and winning and gay, and the next they're absolute bandits."

"they're a mixed race, with a good deal of the spaniard in them," explained miss morley. "we must make certain allowances for their southern temperaments and customs. they're very poor, and they look upon american and british tourists as made of money, and therefore fair game to be[152] fleeced. the best plan is to take them quite calmly, and never lose your temper however excited they may get. when you've lived here for a time you learn how to treat them."

by this time they had reached the bottom of the funicular, and were back in the little station near the observatory. a picturesque woman, with a yellow shawl round her shoulders, and long gold earrings in her ears, came hurrying up to sell post-cards, and offered to show the party the quickest way into the hotel. as every one was very tired and hungry miss morley succumbed to the voice of this siren, and permitted her to escort them by what she assured them would be a short cut and would save many steps. but alas for italian veracity! their suave and smiling guide led them down a path at the back of the hotel to a shabby and dirty little restaurant of her own, where she vehemently assured them she would provide them with a far cheaper meal, an offer which, at the sight of the crumby table-cloth, they resolutely refused.

"the old humbug! i'd no idea she was decoying us away from the hotel. really nobody can be trusted up here," fumed miss morley. "come along, girls. i told the conductor to reserve a table for us, and there won't be time to have lunch before the train starts unless we're quick."

so they all hurried back again up the path—much to the chagrin of the siren—and found their own way into the hotel, where seats had been kept for them[153] in the restaurant, and dishes of macaroni and vegetables and cups of hot coffee were in readiness.

the great attraction to the girls was the fact that if they bought post-cards at the hotel these could be stamped by the conductor of the train with the vesuvius postmark, and posted in a special pillar-box at the station. the idea of sending cards to their friends actually from the volcano itself was most fascinating, and they scribbled away till the last available moment.

"i guess some homes in america will be startled when they see these," purred peachy, addressing flaming representations of an eruption. "it ought just to make nell condy's eyes pop out."

"i'm only afraid they won't believe we've really been," sighed delia, skeptically.

"they'll have to, with the vesuvius postmark. the post-office can't tell fibs at any rate. i call these cards a bit of luck. be a sport, somebody, and lend me an extra stamp. i'm cleared out, and haven't so much as a nickel left."

"hurry, girls, or we shan't get places in the train," urged miss morley, sweeping her party from the hotel into the station, where other tourists were beginning to crowd into the carriages.

the platform was a characteristic italian scene; a blind man with a guitar was singing gay neapolitan songs in a beautiful tenor voice, a woman with a lovely brown-eyed baby was calling oranges, an old man with a red cap and a faded blue umbrella under[154] his arm offered specimens of hand-made lace, while a roguish-looking girl tried to sell cameos carved in lava, throwing them on to the laps of the passengers as they sat in the train. irene, who was beginning to learn italian methods of purchase, commenced to bargain with her for a quaintly cut mascot, reducing the price asked lira by lira till at length, when the conductor blew his brass horn, she finally got it for exactly half of what was at first demanded.

"and quite enough too," said miss morley, who had watched the business with amusement. "she's probably more than satisfied, and will go dancing home to her mother. let me look, irene? this funny little hunchback is always considered the 'luck' of vesuvius. i believe he's copied from a model found in pompeii. he's the true mascot of the mountain. yes, he's quite a pretty little curio and well worth having."

"i wish i'd had any money left to buy one with," sighed peachy.

the train was speeding downhill now, leaving ashes and lava behind, and heading for the bright bay where the sun was shining on the sea. seen from above against a gray background of olives and other trees not yet in leaf, the blossoming peaches and apricots had a filmy fairy look most beautiful to behold. behind frowned the great volcano still belching out clouds of smoke.

"i've a different impression of old vesuvius now[155] i've seen his heart," said peachy, looking back for a last farewell view.

"he still seems full of mischief, but i'm glad he played no tricks while we were up there," commented delia.

"it's certainly one of the sights of the world, and i'm glad i've seen it," said lorna. "yes, i don't mind telling you i was scared when these explosions kept popping off. i thought it was going to erupt and give us the benefit."

irene, when they were back at the villa camellia, patched up her squabble with peachy, whom she had offended over the rosemary incident, and pressed the vesuvius mascot upon her as a peace offering.

"i didn't mean to grab your flowers," she assured her. "really, honest injun, i didn't."

"why, i'd forgotten all about it," declared her light-hearted chum. "i didn't mind a bit after my 'first mad' cooled off. sorry if i was a bear. no, i won't take your lucky hunchback. must i? well, you're a dear! i'd adore to have it. i felt absolutely green when i saw you buy it. i'll hang him on a chain and wear him round my neck, and i expect i'll just be a whiz at tennis to-morrow. oh, isn't he funny? thanks ever so! i shall keep him eternally as a memory of this ripping day up old vesuvius."