The Letters of Charles Dickens. Vol. 3, 1836-1870Dickens, Charles
General
The Letters of Charles Dickens. Vol. 3, 1836-1870
Dickens, Charles
Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870 -- Correspondence; Novelists, English -- 19th century -- Correspondence
We arrived here at midday--two days after our intended time, under
circumstances which I reserve for Georgina's letter, by way of
variety--in what Forster used to call good health and sp--p--pirits. We
have a charming apartment opposite the sea, a little lower down than the
Victoria--in the direction of the San Carlo Theatre--and the windows are
now wide open as on an English summer night. The first persons we found
on board at Genoa, were Emerson Tennent, Lady Tennent, their son and
daughter. They are all here too, in an apartment over ours, and we have
all been constantly together in a very friendly way, ever since our
meeting. We dine at the table d'hote--made a league together on
board--and have been mutually agreeable. They have no servant with them,
and have profited by Edward. He goes on perfectly well, is always
cheerful and ready, has been sleeping on board (upside down, I believe),
in a corner, with his head in the wet and his heels against the side of
the paddle-box--but has been perpetually gay and fresh.
As soon as we got our luggage from the custom house, we packed complete
changes in a bag, set off in a carriage for some warm baths, and had a
most refreshing cleansing after our long journey. There was an odd
Neapolitan attendant--a steady old man--who, bringing the linen into my
bath, proposed to "soap me." Upon which I called out to the other two
that I intended to have everything done to me that could be done, and
gave him directions accordingly. I was frothed all over with Naples
soap, rubbed all down, scrubbed with a brush, had my nails cut, and all
manner of extraordinary operations performed. He was as much
disappointed (apparently) as surprised not to find me dirty, and kept on
ejaculating under his breath, "Oh, Heaven! how clean this Englishman
is!" He also remarked that the Englishman is as fair as a beautiful
woman. Some relations of Lord John Russell's, going to Malta, were
aboardship, and we were very pleasant. Likewise there was a Mr. Young
aboard--an agreeable fellow, not very unlike Forster in person--who
introduced himself as the brother of the Miss Youngs whom we knew at
Boulogne. He was musical and had much good-fellowship in him, and we
were very agreeable together also. On the whole I became decidedly
popular, and was embraced on all hands when I came over the side this
morning. We are going up Vesuvius, of course, and to Herculaneum and
Pompeii, and the usual places. The Tennents will be our companions in
most of our excursions, but we shall leave them here behind us. Naples
looks just the same as when we left it, except that the weather is much
better and brighter.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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