him how he knew. He said by the trunk. It was an American trunk, though he said they spoke French in talking to the vetturino.

"Besides," continued Edwin, "none but American children would be travelling in a carriage by themselves." "Why

"Why not?" asked his mother.

I would not children of other nations do that as well as Americans ?"

"They would not dare to do it,” said Edwin.

Mrs. Willey said she thought it was very strange, at any rate, that any children should be travelling in that way, and she asked her husband what he supposed it meant. He said that probably there was a large party and the carriage containing the father and mother was behind.

"No," said Edwin, "for I have watched at the window and no other carriage has come."

"Then perhaps they were before," said his father, "and they arrived at the hotel before the children did."

“Then Willie would have seen them in their room," said Edwin, "and she says there was nobody there but the two children."

"There must be some mistake about it," said Mr. Willey," for it is utterly impossible that

two such children should be travelling in Italy alone."

"I mean to ask Pedro to find out," said Edwin.

Pedro was Mr. Willey's courier.

CHAPTER XI.

ABOUT COURIERS.

A COURIER, as perhaps the reader knows, is a travelling servant-that is a servant employed to take charge of a party on their travels. A vetturino has for his special charge the carriage and horses, and the care of his party at the inns, so far as their being properly accommodated and provided for there, is concerned; and incidentally he performs other personal services for his charge. But a courier is devoted altogether to the personal service of his party. It is his business to know all about the different modes of travelling and of conveyance, and to make all necessary arrangements in changing from one to another. He engages a vetturino when a vetturino is required—or a post chaise and post horses, if that is the mode of journeying determined upon, or engages the passages in the steamers, or by the trains, and sees to the tickets and to the moving of the baggage to and fro. He settles with the landlords of the inns,

and when the family stop at a town to see the curiosities, he knows what they all are, and conducts his party in their visits to the objects of interest. He provides carriages or other means of conveyance, and guides, where guides are necessary, for short excursions, and it is his business to know the regular prices of all these things and to prevent his party from being overcharged or otherwise imposed upon.

To enable him to discharge these duties properly a courier must be able to speak all the principal European languages, whereas the vetturinos speak in general only French and Italian. The vetturinos too are confined mainly to Italy. They seldom go far beyond the confines of that country, and never farther than they can take their carriages. A vetturino who should leave his carriage and provide other modes of conveyance for his family, would become a courier.

Thus it follows that a family making a single journey, to be accomplished in one vehicle, and having one person in their number who can speak French, can dispense with a courier in travelling in Italy, and get along very well with the vetturino alone. But if an English or an American family wish to make an extended tour in Europe, and none of them can speak French, and espe

cially if they wish to travel in some style, they usually employ a courier.

These couriers form a peculiar class known to all travellers in Europe. Several of them are always to be found by inquiring at any of the principal hotels in all the great cities. Their sole business is to act as the servants of travellers or parties of travellers, while journeying over the great European routes. They are servants, and they take the place of servants in all respects, notwithstanding their high sounding name of couriers. They are generally very quiet and unpretending in their manners, and very respectful and complaisant to their employers; and they take care never to be in the way. When they have provided their party with comfortable seats in a first class railway carriage, and have seen to the proper bestowal of all the carpet bags and parcels, they disappear, and you see and hear nothing of them again until the train stops. But then, if you look out of your window upon the platform you see John, or Francisco, or Pedro, or whatever his name may be, standing ready there to receive your orders, if you have any to give him, or coming to inquire if you will take any refreshments, or to give you some information about the place, or to communicate some intelligence that he has received. When the bell