Several of the villas are located above terraces amid
orange and citron groves, and they are ornamented with statues and
fountains. Leo with pride took his friends to see the Colonna Palace,
which contained many old portraits of his family.
After dinner a drive was taken outside the Porta del Popolo to the
magnificent Villa Borghese and the Pincian Hill. It was planned to visit
on the morrow the gallery Borghese, next to the Vatican, the most
important in Rome. It was dark as Leo returned with his party to the
hotel. The landlord handed him a gentleman's card which read,
Mr. Ferdinand Francisco Colonna.
Piazza Colonna, Rome.
The landlord said that this gentleman was waiting for Leo in the
reception-room. Leo at once recognized the card as that of his cousin,
who was an attorney in Rome, and he hurried to meet his relative. They
grasped hands warmly, and soon were in earnest conversation.
Ferdinand, taking a large official envelope from his pocket, opened it
and began reading what he called a very important paper. It was a copy
of the will of their rich uncle, who had just died, while inspecting
his possession in Sicily. Leo Colonna bore the name of this uncle, his
father's oldest brother, who was fond of art, and who was never married.
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