He shut his book, yawned, took
snuff, and declared himself ready for a meal. The long day passed
and both men turned in early and slept till daybreak.
Before noon they had left Baveno on a steamer and were crossing the
blue depths of Maggiore. Brendon had never seen the Italian lakes
before and he fell silent in the presence of such beauty; nor did
Mr. Ganns desire to talk. They sat together and watched the panorama
unfold, the hills and gorges, the glory of the light over earth and
water, the presence of man, his little homes upon the mountains, his
little barques upon the lake.
At Luino they left the steamer and proceeded to Tresa. Beside the
railroad, on this brief instalment of the journey, there stood lofty
palisades of close wire netting hung with bells. Peter, who had
travelled here twenty years earlier, explained that they were
erected as a safeguard against the eternal smuggling between
Switzerland and Italy.
"'Only man is vile' in fact," he concluded and woke a passing wave
of bitterness in his companion's spirit.
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