"How shall we get our passports again?" asked Rollo.
"We must send for them to the police office, I suppose," said Mr. George.
It is very customary, in the great capitals of Europe, for the police to take the passports of travellers, on their arrival at the gates of the city, and direct them to send for them at the central police office on the following day.
After passing the gate, the diligence went on a long way, through a great many narrow streets, leading into the heart of the city. There was nothing in these streets to denote the ancient grandeur of Rome, excepting now and then an old and venerable ruin, standing neglected among the other buildings.
Rollo, however, in looking out at the windows of the coupé, saw a great many curious sights, as the diligence drove along. Among these one of the most remarkable was a procession of people dressed in a most fantastic manner, and wearing masks which entirely concealed their faces. There were two round holes in the masks for the eyes. Mr. George told Rollo that these were men doing penance. They had been condemned to walk through the streets in this way, as a punishment for some of their sins.
"Why, they treat them just as if they were children," said Rollo.
"They _are_ children," said Mr. George, "in every thing but years."
Not long after this, Rollo saw a very magnificent carriage coming along. It was perfectly resplendent with crimson and gold. The horses, too, and the coachman, and the footmen, were gorgeously caparisoned and apparelled in the same manner.
Rollo pointed it out to Mr. George. Mr. George said it was a cardinal's carriage.
"I wish the cardinal was in it," said Rollo. "I would like to have seen him."
"I presume he would have looked very much like any other man," replied Mr. George.
"Yes, but he would have been dressed differently, wouldn't he?"
"Perhaps he would have had his red hat on," said Rollo. "I should like to see a cardinal wearing his red hat."
The badge of the cardinal's office is a hat and dress of a red color.
At length the diligence passed under an archway which led into a large open court, similar to the one in Naples where the journey had been commenced. The passengers got out, the horses were unharnessed, and the baggage was taken down. The trunks were all taken into an office pertaining to the custom house, to be examined by the officers there, in order to see whether there were any contraband goods in them.