Perugia
[ 1874].
This is like a beautiful dream. I am looking at an abyss and a great high dandified exquisite old city, and through the gates the milky oxen go crawling up the hill with men in long cloaks and swinging lanterns. There are arches so high up that one's hat tumbles off if one looks at them and there is the wide grey and olive view. There are little orange trees along the road, and narrow streets with sheets of country at the end, and these high Renaissance tip-toe sort of houses with arches and dragons and kings and palmers.
We met Sidney Colvin here, who stepped out like a mediæval saint up on the terrace. Gussie and Richmond are going to Rome to-morrow, and we all drive together to Assisi, and then Pinkie and I are going back to my circular ticket by a little round. I suppose we shall sleep at Bologna to-morrow. We are very sorry to part. We have all been in a most absurd state of rapture, and next time, unless you come, I shall come alone and gush less, and write descriptions for a book.
8, Southwell Gardens
[ November, 1874].
How do you do, dear Hallam? Various little objects will come from me to say this to you, also a photograph from Venice which however has not yet arrived.
It is but an idiotic object that is writing to you, swathed in veils from the village of Santa Margarita, where I carefully prepared for future influenza! They (the veils) were bought in a little sunny sort of parlour with a monk and a priest at the glass door,
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