Transcriber's Notes:
1. Page scans provided by the Internet Archive,
https://archive.org/details/delawareorruined01jame
(University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
Not many years ago, as the writer of this work was returningonhorseback to Castellamare, from a visit to the Lactarian Hills, heovertook, just under the chestnut trees on the slope, which every onewho has visited that part of Italy must remember, two gentlemen withtheir guide, who were on their way home after some expedition of akind similar to his own.
As the indefinable something told him at once that they wereEnglishmen, he turned, as usual under such circumstances, to examinethem more critically in passing, and in one of them recollected aperson whom he had met more than once in London. He hesitated whetherhe should claim the acquaintance; as, when he had before seen him, thetraveller had appeared to great disadvantage. A man of rank andfortune, flattered, caressed, single, and set at, he had borne a sortof sneering indifference on his countenance, which certainly did notrecommend him to a person who neither sought his friendship nor fearedhis contempt. A few traits, indeed, had casually appeared, whichseemed to betray a better spirit beneath this kind of superciliousexterior; but still the impression was unfavourable.
All hesitation, however, was put an end to by a bow and friendlyrecognition on the part of the other; and either because theannoyances of the society in which he had formerly been met, were nowremoved, or because a general improvement had worked itself in hisdemeanour and character, his tone was so different, and his aspect soprepossessing, that all feelings of dislike were soon done away. Heinstantly made his "dear, new-found friend" acquainted with hiscompanion; and informing him that he had left his wife and sister atthe Albergo Reale, invited him to join their party for the evening.
This was accordingly done, and now--having ridden the third personlong enough, as it is the roughest going horse in the stable--I will,with the reader's permission, do the next ten miles on the firstperson singular.
The acquaintance which was there renewed soon went on to intimacy; andas I found that the party which I had met with, consisted of an oddnumber, the unfortunate fifth being an old gentleman, who requiredsome one more of his own age than his four relations to converse with,I ventured to propose myself as their companion in a visit to someplaces in the neighbourhood, and as their cicerone to Pæstum. Theproposal was accepted; and, strange enough to say, our companionship,which had commenced so suddenly, did not end till those I may nowboldly call my friends returned to England, nearly a year after,leaving me to stupify at Lauzanne.
Amongst the many pleasures which I derived from their society inItaly, none was greater than that which some account of theirpreceding adventures gave me. This was