"'Pardon me, Eccellenza,' said the lazzarone at last, placing his hand upon the side of the barouche, and jumping out as lightly as a harlequin. 'Pardon me, Eccellenza, but I must return to Naples.'
"'And why so?' inquired the other in his broken Italian.
"'An Englishman has a right to say whatever he likes.'
"'It may be so, but a lazzarone has not.'
"'The invalid soldier who accompanies us to visit Pompeii.'
"'But I will pay double, treble, four times, whatever they ask.'
"'Oh!' said the Englishman, and he fell into a brown study, during which the lazzarone amused himself by trying to jump over his own shadow.
"'I will take the invalid,' said the Englishman after a little reflection.
"'Very good,' replied the lazzarone, 'we will take him.'
"'But I shall say just what I please before him.'
"'In that case I wish you a good morning.'
"'Allow me to give you a piece of advice then. If you want to say what you please before the invalid, take a deaf one.'
"'Ooh!' cried the Englishman, delighted with the advice, 'by all means a deaf one. Here is a piaster for you for having thought of it.' The lazzarone ran to the guard-house, and soon returned with an old soldier who was as deaf as a post.
"They began the usual round of the curiosities, during which the Englishman continued calling King Ferdinand any thing but a gentleman, of all which the invalid heard nothing, and the lazzarone took no notice. They visited the Via dei Sepolchri, the houses of Diomedes and Cicero. At last they came to Sallust's house, in one of the rooms of which was a fresco that hit the Englishman's fancy exceedingly. He immediately sat down, took a pencil and a blank book from his pocket, and began copying it. He had scarcely made a stroke, however, when the soldier and the lazzarone approached him. The former was going to speak, but the latter took the words out of his mouth.
"'Eccellenza,' said he, 'it is forbidden to copy the fresco.'
"'Oh!' said the Englishman, 'I must make this copy. I will pay for it.'
"'But I will pay ten times its value if necessary; I must copy it, it is so funny.'
"'If you do, the invalid will put you in the guard-room.'
"'Pshaw! An Englishman has a right to draw any thing he likes.' And he went on with his sketch. The invalid approached him with an inexorable countenance.