Punch (102.1892)

January 2, 1892.]

PUNCH, OE THE LONDON CHAKIVAKI.

ll

THE TRAVELLING COMPANIONS.

No. XXT.

Scene—The Steps of the Hotel Dandolo, about 11a.m. Podbury

Miss T. The morning! Why, Poppa and I saw the entire show
inside of ten minutes, before breakfast!

Culch. ^ Ah! {Discouraged.^ What do you say to studying the

Vine and Fig-tree angles and the capitals of the arcades in the
i Ducal Palace ? I will go and fetch the Stones of Venice,
is looking expectantly down the Grand^Lanal, Culchard m Miss T. I guess you can leave those old stones in peace. I don't
Leaning upon the balustrade. feei ]&e studying up anything this morning—it's as much as ever I

Podbury. Yes, met Bob just now. They 've gone to the Europa, but j can do not to scream aloud !

we've arranged to take a gondola together, and go about. They re
to pick me up here. Ah, that looks rather like them. [A gondola
approaches, with Miss Prendergast and Bob ; Podbtjry goes down
the steps to meet them.) How are you, Miss Prendergast? Here

Culch. Then shall we just drift about in a gondola all the morning,
and—er—perhaps do the Academy later ?

_ Miss T. Not any canals in this hot sun for me I I'd be just as
sick ! That gondola will keep till it's cooler.

I am, you see. Culch. {losing patience). Then I must really leave it to you to make

Miss Prendergast {ignoring C.'s salute). How do you do, Mr. Pod- a suggestion !
bury ? Surely you don't propose to go out in a gondola in that hat! | Miss T. Well, I believe I '11 have a good look round the curiosity
Podb. (taking off a brown li pot-hat," and inspecting it). It—it's j stores. There's ever such a cunning little shop back of the Clock
quite decent. It was new when I came away ! j Tower on the Pi-azza, where I saw some brocades that were just too

Bob {who is surly this morning). Hang it all,'Patia ! Do you want \ sweet! So I'11 take Poppa along bargain-hunting. Don't you come
him to come out in a chimney-pot ? Jump in, old fellow; never mind \ if you'd rather poke around your old churches and things!
your tile ? | Culch. I don't feel disposed to—er—" poke around " alone ; so, if

Podb. {apologetically). I had a straw once—but I sat on it. I'm you will allow me to accompany you,-

awfully sorry, Miss Prender- Miss T Oh, I '11 allow you

gast. Look here, shall ^ I gc ;., to escort me. It's handy

and see if I can buy one ? N !' , 1 having someone around to

Miss P. Not now—it doesn't \ j|f;j carry parcels. And Poppa's

signify, for once. But around , - , 'l \ bound to drop the balance

hat and a gondola are really /tSS^~^ / \ ' 1 JBt^ i every time!

too incongruous! t^^j^ '7' ' ^HKIi Culch. {to himself). That's

Podb. Are they? A lot of ! , - llSSt all I am to her. A beast of

the Venetians seem to wear \ ^^mS^^L aJr^Sw* burden! And a whole precious

'em. {He steps in.) Now i i l^fflgltl i;., i4i' ilN^T morning squandered on this

what are we going to do—just 1 , .^lif^lPv^ ^Wnrffl :> jJaH^yP^- confounded shopping—when I

potter about? J0^' ^''^Jffl$mrf/>' " \ might have been—ah, well!

Miss P. One hardly comes n %\\\^\ ■'■i '■' '! amm^lj1'! ^ \ [Follows, under protest.

to Venice to potter.' I thought ) k \^irf%sA\\ \'€t\Z2 1 WmW m\' >lmt \ r\ vz, n jn i ^

we'd go and study the Car- | fcAf | flM^ 1 MM iNll M^ \ On the Grand Canal 9 p m.

paccios at the Church of the j folj Vl («! piMf' <i'mb \ A brilliant moonlight night;

Schiavoni first — they won't / JV I \ fi{«S=8rT* flfeA a music-barge, hung with

take us more than an hour or IlK^ \) WtllSl IIK \ coloured lanterns, is moving

so ; then cross to San Giorgio il \^ A I • m\7H&> MflRi J " slowly up towards the Ilialto,

Maggiore, and see the Tinto- ^^MUWmlil^ \ WiM^^ Ml \ grounded and followed by

rets, come back and get a ****m »"\% 1^^^^^% ^'ImmS JP- ~a fleet of gondolas, amongst
general idea of the exterior of 111 WMM W^W^^ '^MWkWmi / ■!'"-— which is one containing the

St. Mark's, and spend the--T SlJJiiTR Trotters and Culchard.

afternoon at the Accademia. % I MiiilJf~~"" "' iWBSMLmrT' - Culchard hasjust discovered

Podb. {with a slight absence f \^kBWK/k> Umffift] — M'BiBfKBW~ —with an embarrassment

of heartiness). Capital! And _-== W tttaJB»$Mw not wholly devoid of a cer-

—er—lunch at the Academy, ■ MH MM ~~ tain excitement—that they

I suppose? "\:: jS" ^^MtttIi^Wp^^ If-1 HWfrln *ir'""" are drawing up to a gondola

Miss P. There does not hap- <&> WKmM S^SIliRi \\' •'■ ' occupied by the Prender-

pen to be a restaurant there— ^ < mMi'/M^^^ ^ HH^f ■ gasts and Podbury.

we shall see what time we have. .'^^^^U^K^m~^:^^\^-i^K^ \ f * ' J/r. Trotter {meditatively).

I must say I regard every ^^S^E^mMm-B ? ^^sl ^sMillr-! h \'^~=^5r\ It's real romantic. That

s

minute of daylight spent on ^s^S^ HOSHf-^^^ ^^Hlil f ' " - I the third deceased kitten I've

food here as a sinful waste. - ^^^^WmUm^^^^ "-^llllli I ^ ""E Jtr~-~ seen to-night. They haven't

Bob. Now just look here, •-. -^^^^^SS^^^^^^j^^^n., vv —~~ only a two-foot tide in the

'Patia, if you are bossing this wM''m^^^' Wlllftk i Adriatic, and it stands to rea-

show, you needn't go cutting ^S^^^^^'BPMRl .....- H'W^ / son all the sewage-

us off our grub! What dr '--^---^^ [The two gondolas are jam-

you say, Jem ? — —__^_ WjjjL^1*' ^^^^^^ ^ med close alongside.

Podb. {desperately anxious ^^~^^^^Lu ^-tST' 3/?'.s« P. How absolutely

to please). Oh, I don't know s^|Epfet l^. j) magical those palaces look in

that I care about lunch myself k!3' ^ the moonlight! Bob, how can

—much. [Their voices die « I guess you want to Cologne your cheeks !" you yawn like that ?

away on the water. Bob. I beg your pardon,

Culch. {musing). She might have bowed to me ! . . . She has es- ! 'Patia, really, but we've had rather a long day of it, you know!
caped the mosquitoes . . . Ah, well, I doubt if she '11 find those two 1 Mr. T. Well, now, I declare I sort of recognised those voices!
particularly sympathetic companions! Now I should enjoy a day {Heartily.) Why, how are you getting along in Vernis ? IFe're
spent in that way. Why shouldn't I, as it is ? I daresay Maud ! gettin' along4fust-rate. Say, Maud, here's your friend alongside !

will- [Turns and sees Mr. Trotter.

Mr. T. My darter will be along presently. She's Cologning her
cheeks—they've swelled up again some. I guess you want to
Cologne your cheeks—they 're dreadful lumpy. I've just been on
the Pi-azza again, Sir. It's curious now the want of enterprise in
these ATernetians. _ Anyone would have expected they'd have thrown
a couple or so of girder-bridges across the canal between this and the
Ili-alto, and run an elevator up the Campanile—but this ain't what
you might call a business city, Sir, and that's a fact, (To Miss T. as
she appeals.) Hello, Maud, the ice-water cool down your face any ?

Miss T. Not much. My face just made that ice-water boil over.
I don't believe I '11 ever have a complexion again—it's divided up
among several dozen mosquitoes, who've no use for one. But it's

[Miss P. preserves a stony silence.
Miss T. {in an undertone). I don't see how you can act so, Poppa
—when you know she 's just as mad with me !

3Ir. T. There! Electrocuted if I didn't clean forget you were
out! But, see here, now—why cann't we let bygones be bygones ?
Bob. {impulsively). Just what I think, Mr. Trotter, and I'm

sure my sister will-

Miss P. Bob, will you kindly not make the situation more
awkward than it is ? If I desired a reconciliation, I think I am
quite capable of saying so!

Miss T. {in confidence to the Moon). This Ark isn't proposing
to send out any old dove, either—we've no use for an olive-branch.
{To Mr. T.) That's "Santa Lucia" they're singing now,

vurry consoling to look at you, Mr. Culchard, and feel there's a 1 Poppa.

pair of us. Now what way do you propose we should endeavour to i Mr. T. They don't appear to me to get the twist on it they did at

forget our sufferings ?

Bellagio!

Culch. Well, we might spend the morning in St. Mark's-? Miss T. You mean that night Charley took us out on the Lake

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