Home life in Hellas, Greece and the Greeks - eBooks4Greeks.gr

318 HOME LIFE IN HELLASless noise, and more space, and, above all, there isthe "most pellucid air" of Euripides. Even thewhite hot silence of a summer noon isnot oppressive.The nerve-shattering din which is rapidlymaking London uninhabitable has not invadedAthens. The tramways are not noisy. The onlyother public conveyance is a very light and handytwo-horse bus—a really admirable vehicle. Happily,Athens is still Oriental enough not to be in ahurry, even when it is at work. No wonder centenariansare numerous in Greece.Here is the beginning of an Athenian day.Theprofile of Lycabettus is still dark against the kindlingeast when there comes the tinkle of bells.We know they are borne by goats by the dull,muted sound. The timbre of the goat-bell is thesame everywhere. It is unmistakable, differingalike from the fuller tone of the sheep-bell and thesharp jingle of the mule-bells. The tinkle is followedby the cry of Gala, galata (milk), and a tallfigure in fustanella seizes one of his charges bythe leg and draws from her the morning supplyfor the household of the civil servant opposite.The stentorian tones of the goat-herd are quicklyfollowed by the shrill treble of Loostro-verneekifrom the throat of a diminutive shoe-black goinghis round. He has his regular customers, but hedoes not mean to lose a chance one for want ofadvertising, and he has his reward. A coupleof pair of boots are thrown out, and he unslingshis box and sets to work on the doorstep.