Preface
_ THE scenes of the following story are laid in Italy, that land of the sun. They are designed to impress a goodly moral, as well as to amuse the reader--to show that patience and perseverance will conquer all things--and that a poor coat may cover a rich heart. The reader will find also herein, that love raises the humblest； and that true merit, like true genius, tramples upon misfortunes； and that "some falls are means the happier to rise."
THE DUKE‘S PRIZE. _


Chapter 1. Florence
_ CHAPTER I. FLORENCE

Lend thy serious hearing to what I shall unfold.
--Hamlet.

COME with me, gentle reader, on the wings of fancy into the mild and genial latitude of the Tyrrhenian Sea. The delightful region of the Mediterranean has been the poet‘s ready theme for ages； then let us thitherward, with high hopes (and appreciating eyes) to enjoy the storied scenery of its shores. Touch, if you will, at Gibr

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