THE DINGY ITALIAN (_suddenly discovering_ CULCHARD'S _nationality_). Ecco, siete Inglese! Lat us spika Ingelis. I onnerstan' 'im to ze bottomside. (_Laboriously, to_ CULCHARD, _who tries to conceal his chagrin._) 'Ow menni time you employ to go since Coire at here? (C. _nods with vague encouragement._) Vich manners of vezzer you vere possess troo your travels--mosh ommerella? (C.'s _eyes grow vacant._) Ha, I _tink_ it vood! Zis day ze vicket root sall 'ave plenti 'orse to pull, &c., &c. (_Here_ PODBURY _comes up, and puts some rugs in the coupe of the diligence._) You sit at ze beginning-end, hey? better, you tink, zan ze mizzle? I too, zen, sall ride at ze front--we vill spika Ingelis, altro! PODB. (_overhearing this, with horror_). One minute, Culchard. (_He draws him aside._) I say, for goodness' sake, don't let's have that old organ-grinding Johnny in the _coupe_ with _us!_ CULCH. Organ-grinder! you are so _very_ insular! For anything you can tell, he may be a decayed nobleman. PODB. (_coarsely_). Well, let him decay somewhere else, that's all! Just tell the Conductor to shove him in the _interieur_, do, while I nip into the _coupe_ and keep our places. [CULCHARD, _on reflection, adopts this suggestion, and the_ ITALIAN GENTLEMAN, _after fluttering feebly about the coupe door, is unceremoniously bundled by the_ CONDUCTOR _into the hinder part of the diligence._ * * * * * IN THE BERNARDINO PASS, DURING THE ASCENT. CULCH. Glorious view one gets at each fresh turn of the road, Podbury! Look at Hinter-rhein, far down below there, like a toy village, and that vast desolate valley, with the grey river rushing through it, and the green glacier at the end, and these awful snow-covered peaks all round--_look_, man! [Illustration: AN ELDERLY ENGLISHWOMAN IS SITTING ON HER TRUNK.] PODB. I'm looking, old chap. It's all there, right enough! CULCH. (_vexed_). It doesn't seem to be making any particular impression on you, I must say! PODB. It's making me deuced peckish, I know that--how about lunch, eh! CULCH. (_pained_). We are going through scenery like this, and all you think of is--lunch! (PODBURY _opens a basket.)_ You may give me one of those sandwiches. What made you get _veal_? and the bread's all crust, too! Thanks, I'll take some claret.... (_They lunch; the vehicle meanwhile toils up to the head of the Pass._) Dear me, we're at the top already! These rocks shut out the valley altogether--much colder at this height, eh? Don't you find this keen air most exhilarating? PODB. (_shivering_). Oh very, do you mind putting your window up? Thanks. You seem uncommon chirpy to-day. Beginning to get _over_ it, eh? CULCH. We shan't get over it for some hours yet. PODB. I didn't mean the Pass, I meant--(_hesitating_)--well, your little affair with Miss Prendergast, you know.