Two or three old _habitues_ are reading the newspapers; before them is a table on which are army and navy lists; notices of the arrivals and departures of the French and Peninsular Steam-Navigation Company's packets from Leghorn; itineraries of the baths; cards of professors of various languages, &c. The banker is writing. Enter a lady; a boy, with turn-down collar and very red ears; a little girl in a nice hat; a Swiss _bonne_; and a baby, with a blue sash and feather. _Banker._ (_Advancing cordially._) Ah, Mrs Worryemwell, how do you do? (_Pats the boy on the head._) And how are you, my fine fellow? (_Gives the baby an amicable poke in the ribs, whereat it laughs and crows uproariously._) Take a seat on the sofa, will you, Mrs Worryemwell; and now, tell me, when did you leave Florence? _Mrs Worryemwell._ The day before yesterday. We should have been here sooner, but we missed the train for Lucca, because one of the trunks was left behind at the Pisa station, and I would not move till it was found. _Banker._ (_Anxiously._) But you recovered it, I trust? _Mrs W._ Yes; but we are in sad trouble now: a canister of arrow-root must have remained on the Lucca Railway, and baby will get ill without it. We had a good many small packages, and this one was overlooked in the confusion; but-- _Banker._ (_Promptly._) I'll write to the clerk in charge at the station about it at once. _Mrs W._ Oh! thank you. I was going to ask you to do so. A brown, japanned canister, fastened down with some strong twine. _Banker._ Very good, very good. How do you like your house at the Villa? I gave orders that the beds should be aired, and charcoal and oil provided before your arrival, just as you directed. _Mrs W._ Thank you; pretty well; but, as usual with all Italians, the owners are most disobliging. I wanted a cot put in for baby, but they say they have none, and that it was not stipulated for in the agreement. Now, surely (_impressively_), surely a person of your experience would never take a house for a lady and young children without such an indispensable thing as a cot? _Banker._ You did not mention it in your letter, my good lady, and having four other friends' lodgings to fix that same day, it has, I fear, escaped me. (_Good-humouredly._) But we'll try and arrange matters. I'll come down and talk to the Padrone di Casa-- _Mrs W._ (_Taking a memorandum out of her reticule._) Let me see. Ah, yes! butter, milk, eggs. Could you favour me with the exact prices of all these necessaries? for I am certain the people of the house have cheated in what they have procured for us. _Banker._ Certainly. One of my clerks shall procure you every information. _Mrs W._ Ah, yes! and if you will come this afternoon to the Villa, you can also insist on their white-washing my English servant's room. It overlooks the garden, and a scorpion was found on the window this morning. Now, white-washing the walls is the only safeguard; it would really annoy me if he were stung.