At my last sight of him, he stood on the pavement before the hotel gazing anxiously upwards.

But the sun still shone, and as we began the descent of the mountain-side I felt annoyed at having to view the landscape through loopholes.
Of a sudden--we were near the little station down in the valley--there arose a mighty roaring, and all the trees of the wayside bent as if they would break.

The sky blackened, the wind howled, and presently, as I peered through the window for some hope that this would only be a passing storm, rain beat violently upon my face.

Then the carriage stopped, and my driver, a lad of about seventeen, jumped down to put something right in the horses' harness.
"Is this going to last ?" I shouted to him.
"No, no, signore" he answered gaily.

"It will be over in a minute or two.