I promised to discard the obnoxious hat and to wear a handkerchief round my head when I attended church, but refused to muffle my face, and begged the reverend gentleman to inform my fellow-worshippers that this was the first time such a thing had been required of a Frankish woman, and that I thought they would be more profitably employed in looking at their prayer-books than at me, for that He whom we go to church to adore is not a respecter of outward things.
In spite of this remonstrance, their behaviour remained the same, so that I was compelled almost to discontinue attending public worship.
On great festival-days the high altar of the church of St.Francis is very profusely decorated.

It is, in fact, almost overloaded with ornament, and sparkles and glitters with a most dazzling brilliancy.
Innumerable candles display the lustre of gold and precious stones.
Foremost among the costly ornaments appear a huge gold monstrance presented by the king of Naples, and two splendid candelabra, a gift of the imperial house of Austria.
I happened one day to pass a house, from within which a great screaming was to be heard.

On inquiring of my companion what was the matter, I was informed that some person had died in that house the day before, and that the sound I heard was the wail of the "mourning women." I requested admission to the room where the deceased lay.

Had it not been for the circumstance that a few pictures of saints and a crucifix decorated the walls, I could never have imagined that the dead man was a Catholic.

Several "mourning women" sat near the corpse, uttering every now and then such frantic yells, that the neighbourhood rang with their din.