CHAPTER XII

On Nothing at all 132

CONCLUSION 141

ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

Mary Thurn-Taxis _Frontispiece_

Headpiece to Introduction 1

Tailpiece to Introduction 5

Castle Duino 6

Headpiece to Chapter I. 7

Duino from the Sea 8

Door-knocker 10

Boreas 12

The Roman Tower 14

Tailpiece to Chapter I. 16

The Balcony 18

Portrait of Matthew Hofer (Van Dyck) 21

The Banqueting Hall 22

The Riviera 25

A Recess in the Library 26

Tailpiece to Chapter II. 28

Initial Letter to Chapter III. 29

Miramar 32

The Rising Moon 36

Tailpiece to Chapter III. 38

Initial Letter to Chapter IV. 39

Springs of the Timavo 41

Castle Duino from the Roman Road 48

Tailpiece to Chapter IV. 50

Initial Letter to Chapter V. 51

The Grotto Room 53

Castle Duino from the Moat 57

The Ruin 59

Tailpiece to Chapter V. 61

Initial Letter to Chapter VI. 62

Fishing Boat (Bragozzo) 66

Grado--the Harbour 67

The Church at Grado 68

Entrance to Castle Duino 74

Tailpiece to Chapter VI. 75

Initial Letter to Chapter VII. 76

Little River near Villa Vicentina 78

Villa Vicentina 79

Tailpiece to Chapter VII. 84

Initial Letter to Chapter VIII. 85

Palazzo Finetti 90

House at Gradisca 91

Tomb of Nicolao della Torre 92

Tailpiece to Chapter VIII. 95

Initial Letter to Chapter IX. 96

The White Lady 98

The White Lady 99

Tin-ho--First-class Mandarin 101

Tailpiece to Chapter IX. 107

Initial Letter to Chapter X. 108

The Town Hall 115

Door-knocker 118

Café at Capodistria 119

Initial Letter to Chapter XI. 121

A Cast 125

Girl from Duino 129

Castle Duino from the Railway 130

Tailpiece to Chapter XI. 131

Initial Letter to Chapter XII. 132

Lawn-tennis Ground 138

Entrance to the Village of Duino 139

Initial Letter to Conclusion 141

Tailpiece to Conclusion 143

INTRODUCTION

Here where the world is quiet.

Swinburne.

We were talking the other day of the many and interesting books of travel that have been written lately, books so full of valuable information and precise descriptions that you almost feel that Inner Africa and the North Pole are as familiar to you as Piccadilly and Oxford Street.

"It is a blessing that such books exist," said our host, who has rather a philosophical turn of mind. "Of course, I never read them; personally, I think that reading and writing are decidedly a mistake; but if I _wanted_ to know anything about these countries there would not be the slightest necessity to travel about; other people have done that for me. To speak the truth, I do _not_ want to know anything about foreign parts. One book of Stanley, for instance, is enough to make me hate the very idea of Inner Africa; and as to the North Pole, I cannot describe my feelings with regard to the raving lunatics who imagine they have anything to do there. I am all for a quiet life, you know. I stick to my principles--the summer in Cairo, the winter in bed."

This speech was received with icy coldness. We are not philosophically inclined, I am sorry to say, and though I should not much like Inner Africa on account of the heat, I have always cherished the idea of some day making a trip to the North Pole.

This I said with my usual diffidence and modesty, but of course I was hooted by the rest of the company, and one energetic lady explained at great length that the North Pole is a "humbug." Another lady (the one who is my collaborator now) confessed a great partiality for travelling. "Only," she said, "it is not at all necessary to go so far; there are many wonderful countries in Europe which are very little known. For instance," she added, turning to me, "I always wonder how very little you English know of Austria. The fact that Vienna is a pretty town, where everything English is particularly liked; that Prague is a fine old city, and that here and there we have first-rate shooting, is about all that is known of Austria by foreigners. And it is a pity! Who really has seen the wonderful mountains of the Tyrol, mountains that are just as fine as any in Switzerland; the charming lakes of the Salzkammergut; the green valleys of that greenest of lands, Styria? Who has spoken of the mysterious charm of the great Bohemian forests of oak and pine, the quaint little towns of Carinthia, the beautiful banks of the blue Danube? How very few people know the _puzsta_, the immense plains of Hungary; and who has explored the wildernesses of Galicia and Transylvania, or the wonderful beauty of the Dalmatian coasts from the Bocche di Cattaro up to here, where we are on the shores of the Adriatic Sea? And just here--this little spot so full of memories and classic associations--who has ever heard even the names of Istria and the Littoral? And yet how pretty and interesting the scenery is in this unknown part of Austria. The azure waters of the Adriatic, the wonderful southern sky, the Italian landscapes, the many relics of old Roman life and grandeur, everything combines to make this country worthy to be seen and admired. Do you know," she concluded, "you ought to write a book about it."

"Write a book!" I exclaimed, duly horrified,--"I, who hate even to write a letter of ten lines!"

"Writing a book is quite different, I am sure," was the answer; "and I don't mean a learned, scientific work. Write a simple sketch of this part of the country. Begin with Duino, where we are now. Then we will make excursions to other places near here, and you can write about them. If you will do it, I will try to make the illustrations."

This was another thing; and though our host looked rather gloomy at the idea of having any book-writing going on under his roof (a thing decidedly against his principles), I promised I would think about it. At first I felt very much as an unhappy being feels who is about to make his first speech; he knows there are lots of things to be said, but for the life of him he cannot remember what they are.

Now, however, I have written the Introduction and made the first plunge. I am writing the rest to please my collaborator and myself. I do not intend to be apologetic. If other people like this scribble, all well and good; if they do _not_, they should not read it.