eBooks Base 2000

The
lilies of the evening, in the quarter where the sun had gone down, were
very soft and beautiful, though not so gorgeous as thousands that I have
seen in America. But I believe I must fairly confess that the Italian
sky, in the daytime, is bluer and brighter than our own, and that the
atmosphere has a quality of showing objects to better advantage. It is
more than mere daylight; the magic of moonlight is somehow mixed up with
it, although it is so transparent a medium of light.
Last evening, Mr. Powers called to see us, and sat down to talk in a
friendly and familiar way. I do not know a man of more facile
intercourse, nor with whom one so easily gets rid of ceremony. His
conversation, too, is interesting. He talked, to begin with, about
Italian food, as poultry, mutton, beef, and their lack of savoriness as
compared with our own; and mentioned an exquisite dish of vegetables
which they prepare from squash or pumpkin blossoms; likewise another
dish, which it will be well for us to remember when we get back to
the Wayside, where we are overrun with acacias.


Pages:
414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429 430 431 432 433 434 435 436 437 438