Presently I passed an open office of some kind, where a pleasant-looking man sat at a table writing; on an impulse I entered, and made bold to ask whether Cosenza had no better inn than the _Due Lionetti_.

Great was this gentleman's courtesy; he laid down his pen, as if for ever, and gave himself wholly to my concerns.

His discourse delighted me, so flowing were the phrases, so rounded the periods.

Yes, there were other inns; one at the top of the town--the _Vetere_--in a very good position; and they doubtless excelled my own in modern comfort.

As a matter of fact, it might be avowed that the _Lionetti_, from the point of view of the great centres of civilization, left something to be desired--something to be desired; but it was a good old inn, a reputable old inn, and probably on further acquaintance---- Further acquaintance did not increase my respect for the _Lionetti_; it would not be easy to describe those features in which, most notably, it fell short of all that might be desired.