The hostess confided to me that, in the first day of my illness, she had felt sure I should die.
Everybody had thought so, she added gaily; even Dr.Sculco had shaken his head and shrugged his shoulders; much better, was it not, to be paying my bill?
Bill more moderate, under the circumstances, no man ever discharged; Calabrian honesty came well out of the transaction.

So I tumbled once more into the dirty, ramshackle _diligenza_, passed along the dusty road between the barred and padlocked warehouses, and arrived in good time at the station.

No sooner had I set foot on the platform than I felt an immense relief.

Even here, it seemed to me, the air was fresher.

I lifted my eyes to the hills and seemed to feel the breezes of Catanzaro.
The train was made up at Cotrone, and no undue haste appeared in our departure.