In a few days the two young men made their way back to Italy, and lingered a while in Florence before going on to Rome.

In Florence Roderick seemed to have won back his old innocence and his preference for the pleasures of study over any others.
Rowland began to think of the Baden episode as a bad dream, or at the worst as a mere sporadic piece of disorder, without roots in his companion's character.

They passed a fortnight looking at pictures and exploring for out the way bits of fresco and carving, and Roderick recovered all his earlier fervor of appreciation and comment.

In Rome he went eagerly to work again, and finished in a month two or three small things he had left standing on his departure.

He talked the most joyous nonsense about finding himself back in his old quarters.