[Illustration: PALERMO. THE QUATTRO CANTI. _Page 395._] [Illustration: PALERMO. THE MARINA. _Page 409._] [Illustration: AMERICAN VILLAGE MESSINA. THE CELTIC’S CARPENTER COOK AND TWO “SCORPIONS” MEASURING OFF THE LAND. _Page 438._] [Illustration: WING OF ELIZABETH GRISCOM HOSPITAL, VILLAGGIO REGINA ELENA. _Page 434._] their petticoats, half dressed, evidently in the act of doing their hair, raced after her carriage with the ends of their hair held between their teeth. Somehow this was curiosity, admiration, and awe--even worship, that seemed to be expressed. The same might be said of their attitude towards the King. I thought they really seemed to worship him, and perhaps love him, too--but with Roosevelt the feeling expressed was different. It seemed to be admiration and brotherly affection--that was pleasant to see.” Some of the visitors were quite unprepared for the magnitude of the work undertaken. They had received the impression that the building party had very little to do, except put together the portable houses (there were only forty-nine of _them_) that, it was commonly supposed at home, composed the larger part of the cargo of the lumber ships. “As if,” Belknap exclaimed, “you could pick a portable house from a tree like a lemon!” In a letter to the Ambassador, Belknap gives some interesting details about the hospital. “The hospital referred to was one that the Queen desired to be built at Villaggio Regina Elena. Like the hotel, it began as a combination of several standard cottages, but, as Mr. Elliott was never content with a makeshift when he could improve upon it, a plan was ultimately evolved which embodied all of her Majesty’s ideas, and at the same time made the most of the ground area that would be available to cover. The Queen had stipulated for kitchen, laundry and servants to be in a building separate from the hospital proper, and for a detached house to be available close at hand. Mr. Elliott’s plan was of a large, main building, forty by sixty feet, containing three wards, dining-room and pantry, bath, office, dispensary, and linen closet, with a wing thrown out on the north containing operating-room, sterilizing-room, and emergency ward, and another wing on the south for doctors’ rooms and bath, and nurses’ rooms and bath. In the rear were to be kitchen, laundry and dining-room, with servants’ sleeping-rooms and storeroom in a semi-detached building in one corner, and, symmetrically placed in the opposite corner, a small isolated building for a contagious ward. With the hospital, also, our part was at first limited to the contractor work, her Majesty sending an engineer down to arrange for plumbing, drainage, lighting and furnishing; but later we arranged for, and carried through, the plastering and tiled flooring.