"Rollo," said Mr. George, "I am going to put the whole business of the buono manos into your hands."
"Good!" said Rollo. "I'll take the business if you will only give me the money."
"How much will it require, Vittorio, for each day, to do the thing up handsomely?" asked Mr. George.
Vittorio immediately began to make a calculation. He reckoned in pauls, the money which is used most in the central parts of Italy. The substance of his calculation was, that for the whole party about half a dollar would be a proper sum to pay to the domestic at the hotel where they stopped for the night, and a quarter of a dollar or less at noon. Then there were chambermaids, ostlers, and drivers of extra horses or oxen to help up the long hills, all of whom would like a small buono mano. This would bring the amount up to about six francs, or a dollar and a quarter a day, on the plan of doing the thing up handsomely, as Mr. George had proposed.
"You mean to be generous with them, uncle George," said Rollo.
"Yes," said Mr. George. "In travelling in Italy, pay out liberally to every body that renders you any service, but not a sou to beggars. That's my rule."
"Besides," he continued, "it is good policy for us to be generous in this case, for Mrs. Gray will pay two thirds of the money. So that you and I, sitting in the coop, as you call it, will have all the pleasure of the generosity, with only one third of the expense of it."
While Mr. George was saying this, he took his wallet out of his pocket, and opened to the compartment of it which contained napoleons.
"Let us see," said he; "we shall be ten days on the way in going to Naples, and Sunday makes eleven. Six francs a day for eleven days makes sixty-six francs."
So saying, he took out three gold napoleons, for the sixty francs, and six francs in silver, and handing the whole to Rollo, said, "There's the money."
"But, uncle George," said Rollo, "I can't pay the buono manos in gold."
"No," said Mr. George; "you must get the money changed, of course."
"And what shall I get it changed into?" asked Rollo.
"I don't know, I'm sure," said Mr. George. "That's for you to find out. We have three different kinds of currency between here and Naples. We are now in Tuscany. After we get through Tuscany we come into the Roman states, and after we get through the Roman states we shall come into the kingdom of the two Sicilies, where Naples is. You will require different money in all these countries, and you must look out and not have any left over, or at least very little, when you cross the frontiers."
"But how shall I manage that?" asked Rollo.
"I don't know," said Mr. George, "any more than you do. If I had it to do, I should try to find out. But that is your affair, not mine. You said that if I would give you the money you would take the whole business of the buono manos off my hands. I must go now and see about my arrangement with Mrs. Gray."
"Well," said Rollo, "I'll find out what to do."
Thus the buono mano question was disposed of.
As to the board, Mr. George made a verbal agreement with Vittorio that he would pay fifty-four francs a day for the whole party, and that, in consideration of that sum, Vittorio was to provide board and lodging for them all, at the best hotels, and in the best style. He paid for five days in advance. At the end of that time, the party were to be at liberty either to continue the system at the same rate, or to abandon it, and pay the bills at the hotels themselves.
In respect to the carriage and horses, Vittorio brought him an agreement, filled up from a printed form, which he and Vittorio signed in duplicate. It was as follows. There was a picture of a carriage and horses at the head of it. I give you the document in the original French. If you are studying French yourself, you can read it. If not, you must ask some one to translate it for you, if you wish to know what it all means.
VITTORIO GONSALVI, VOITURIER.
[Illustration]
FLORENCE, le 22 Mars, 1857.
Par la présente écriture, faite à double original, pour valoir et
pour être strictement observée, comme de droit, par les parties
contractantes, a été fixe, et convenu ce qui suit.
Le propriétaire de voiture, Gonsalvi, domicilié à Rome, promet et
s'oblige de servir Monsieur George Holiday et sa suite dans le
voyage qu'il veut entreprendre de Florence à Napoli, par la voie de
Arezzo, Perugia, Rome, et Terracina, et être conduit par un bon
voiturier, pour le prix convenu de trois cents francs, pour la
voiture et les quatre chevaux.
Moyennant ce paiement, qui s'effectuera moitié avant de partir,
moitié à Napoli, le propriétaire de voiture, ou son conducteur
délégué, est tenu des obligations ci-après designées.
Tous les frais occasionnés pour le passage des fleuves, rivières,
ponts, et montagnes, ainsi que ceux des barrières, seront à la
charge du voiturier conducteur.
L'étrenne d'usage à donner au voiturier conducteur sera selon son
bon service.
Le dit voyage sera fait dans dix jours complets.
Le depart de Florence est fixé dans le journée du 23 courant, a
onze heures matin.
Pour tous les jours en sus, qu'il plairait à dit Monsieur Holiday
de s'arrêter dans une ville, ou qu'il y fut forcé par des
imprévues, il est convenu qu'il payera cinq francs par jour par
cheval pour la nourriture des chevaux.
Le voiturier devra constamment descendre dans de bonnes auberges,
et partira tous les matins de bonne heure, pour arriver tous les
soirs avant la nuit à l'auberge ou l'on devra coucher.
Et pour l'observance des conditions ci-dessus mentionnées, les
parties interessées l'ont volontairement signée.
GEORGE HOLIDAY,
VITTORIO GONSALVI.
The agreement which Mr. George made with Mrs. Gray was not so difficult to understand. Mrs. Gray did not, as Rollo had predicted, appear unwilling to make a definite arrangement in respect to the respective privileges and rights of the various members of the party in the carriage and at the hotels. She was a very sensible woman, and she saw the propriety of Mr. George's suggestion at once. Mr. George attributed the necessity of it, in part, to there being so many children in the party.
"When there are children," said he, "we must have system and a routine."
"That is very true," said Mrs. Gray.
"And the more formal and precise the arrangement is, the better," said Mr. George. "It amuses them, and occupies their minds, to watch the operation of it."
"Yes," said Mrs. Gray; "I have no doubt of it."
"Then," said Mr. George, "I will draw up some articles of agreement, and if you approve of them, Rosie shall make a copy of them. Rosie shall keep the copy, too, after she has made it, and shall see that the rules are all observed."
"But what shall I do," said Rosie, "if any body breaks any of the rules?"
"Then they must be punished," said Mr. George. "You shall determine what the punishment shall be, and I will see that it is inflicted."
So Mr. George drew up a set of rules; but before proposing them to Mrs. Gray and her children, he read them to Rollo. He read as follows:-
I.
The interior of the carriage, all the way, shall belong to Mrs.
Gray and her family, and the coupé to Mr. George and Rollo. Mr.