we been told the truth. The grief and distraction of the son and
daughter, who had thus lost a parent, very possibly prevented them
from taking the best measures in a case of such emergence; whereas
strangers, anxious to be of service, and having all their presence of
mind at command, might have afforded very important assistance. How
little had we thought, during the day spent so pleasantly upon the
Rhône, that a fiat had passed which doomed one of the party to an
untimely and violent death! Our spirits, which had been of the gayest
nature, were damped by this incident, which recurred to our minds
again and again, and we were continually recollecting some trifling
circumstance which had prepossessed us in favour of the family, thus
suddenly overwhelmed by so distressing an event.

A couple of hours brought us to Arles, where we arrived before the
town was astir; the steamer to Marseilles did not leave the quay until
twelve o'clock, and we were tantalized by the idea of the excellent
night's rest we might have had if the steamer had fulfilled its
agreement to go on to Arles. The Marseilles boat, though a fine vessel
of its class, was better calculated for the conveyance of merchandize
than of passengers; there being only one cabin, and no possibility of
procuring any refreshment on board. This is the more inconvenient,
as there is danger in bad weather of the passage into the harbour of
Marseilles being retarded for several hours. We now lamented having
slighted an invitation to comfortable quarters in Avignon, which we
found on board the Lyons steamer, printed upon a large card.

We were much pleased with what we saw of Arles; it is a clean,
well-built town, the streets generally rather narrow, but the houses
good. In walking about, we found many of the outer doors open, and
neat-looking female servants employed in sweeping the halls and