All this is changed. The old castle still stands out, white and clear cut, with the blue Mediterranean beating on three of its sides, but the sunshine has flown.
No smiling mistress in silken robes, no Roman servants, no coachman of polished bronze were here to welcome me now. The great hall with its wealth of marble remains, but the _objets d'art_ brought from every corner of the globe are gone, and all the warmth of heart that comes from loving hospitality is missing. My hostess of former years has been wooed away.
Let not my musing, however, deter any one from coming to Ischia. Situated at the northern extremity of the Bay of Naples, as Capri is at its southern extremity, it is at once unique and romantic.
We set sail from Marseilles one evening as the autumn sun was sinking behind the distant Alps. Cruising along the Riviera and the rugged coast of Corsica, on the second morning we were close to Italy's shore with the environs of Naples in the misty background.
We remained in port three days, living on the ship the while. A drive to Posilipo, the never-ending panorama of Neapolitan life, and the day at Ischia, about which I told you in my last letter, filled the time, and at midnight of the third day we weighed anchor for home.
It is to be regretted that the big packet of letters which awaited me here, full to overflowing with questions, could not have been received earlier. The twelve hours of unexpected waiting caused by the delayed sailing of the ship will give me, however, an opportunity to answer a limited number. You will receive this letter—one of you at least—before that happy day when I shall set foot again upon my native land.
Does it pay to come abroad for a short time?
It pays to come for a day. The ocean voyage is compensation in itself. Nothing broadens one's life like touching the lives of others.
And did request me to importune you, To let him spend his time no more at home, Which would be great impeachment to his age In having known no travel in his youth.
SHAKSPERE, _Two Gentlemen of Verona_, Act I, Scene 3, Line 13.
Is it worth while, before coming, to read about the places one intends to visit?
It is more than worth while! It is necessary! That which one will comprehensively absorb during any journey depends largely upon what one has read. This is especially true of foreign travel.