--Dear Donna Matilde, in the first hours of Saturday night, I must confess, we were not much preoccupied. As you know, we have had several showers of cinders here in Ottaiano, but they were short and harmless. Nothing was to be feared, that evening, as I tell you, but towards mid-night the preoccupation began. The crater had fallen in, and at every breath of the Vulcano, a more and more increasing fall of ashes came down, passing over the mountain of Somma which protects us, and striking the whole of our place. The alarm bells began to ring. --How terrible! I exclaim. --It was well they rang the bells he says. The peasants who had all returned home for the holy week, were all fast asleep, the women at the sound of the bells, came out from their houses, running madly away, and to be sure many more would have died had the bells not rung. --How many died here in Ottaiano? --About seventy, and even those might have been saved, but the night was so dark and the fall of ashes so thick. --Did they all seem to lose their mind? --In the beginning no! I telegraphed to Naples, and the poor telegraph operator who sent my telegram, and whose courage and devotion should be enhanced, sent these telegrams under the flashes of the mountain. Twice the electric shocks threw her down. One only of my three wires, the one to the Military Comand reached its destination. --And your family, I ask? He seems moved and hesitating. --Don't speak to me about that, he exclaims, those hours have been terrible! When I saw that we had to run away, I was obliged to nearly carry my wife who was ill and weak, on the road. Quite exhausted and discouraged, she stopped to recommend me the children, asking me to let her die there in that very place. I knew nothing about my father and mother; my nephews have saved them, they had sworn to die but to save their grand parents, these brave boys. Only after four days I learned that all my people were saved. --And where did they all go? --To Avellino! One would hardly believe it! we reached Avellino by an extra train, and there we received from all the population, and principally from good Achille Vetroni, a warm hospitality. You can tell it to every body in honour of Vetroni and Avellino. Imagine that in the shops, they refused to be paid, when we went to buy shoes and boots. Yes, they have really done prodigies of devotion and kindness. Prodigies! Tell every body what the hospitality of Sarno has been for the people from Ottaiano, how touching! You must also add that the first good example, came from the seminary. The good rector has promptly given up his room to M. Cola, who was flying from Ottaiano, quite ill. The seminarists have distributed their own clothes to the people. One can hardly realize all that has been done for the people of Ottaiano everywhere they have gone, to Sarno, Caserta, Castellammare, Marigliano and Nola. We shall never forget it. --And what will you do now? I ask him after a brief silence.