ng the _possessioni_, or small farms, into which the
land is subdivided, from the road. It was rapidly growing dark; for
it must not be forgotten there is no twilight in Italy, and the moon
was not yet visible; so we had nothing to do but admire the fireflies
which the midshipmen ruthlessly persisted in ensnaring in their caps
and handkerchiefs, or laugh at the efforts of _l'officier marié_, as
our friends had named the young lieutenant, to sustain a conversation
in French. No fear of robbers crossed our minds; the consul and our
countrymen were armed, it is true, but more as a security against
danger in the vicinity of Loretto, than in the unfrequented districts
we were traversing, where there were no travellers or wealthy
house-holders to attract the gangs which swarmed on the papal highways.

At last, after the consul's lamentations on the weariness of the way
had begun to find an echo in our own hearts, we emerged from a narrow
path, shut in by steep banks, upon the casino. But it was not on its
open doors, or the hospitable lights kindling for our reception, that
our eyes were turned. I do not remember being ever so enchanted by
any view as that now presented to us. I know not whether daylight
would rob it of any portion of its beauty and soothing influence;
I can only speak of it as it impressed me then—so calm, so pure, so
still. We were standing on the verge of a lofty cliff that stretched
precipitously forward like a crescent, and formed a bay on whose waters
the moon, which had just risen, poured a flood of trembling silvery
light; while, on one side, dark, ominous, and frowning, rose the mount,
projecting far into the sea, and towering in its sullen grandeur above
the rippling waves which bore their snowy wreaths of foam in tribute to
its feet. Clear and defined against the moonlit sky, with no trees or
verdure to clothe its rocky steeps, there was something inexpressibly
sublime in the aspect of this mountain, and the lonely character of
the surrounding scenery. No sound invaded the perfect quietud