hands afterward, and it rather reminded me of one of Charles de
Bunsen's stories when he was Secretary of Legation at Turin. In the
summer they took a villa in the country just out of the town and had
frequent visitors to lunch or dinner. One day two of their friends,
Italians, had spent the whole day with them; had walked in the garden,
picked fruit and flowers, played with the child and the dogs and the
pony, and as they were coming back to the house for dinner, Charles
suggested that they might like to come up to his dressing-room and
wash their hands before dinner--to which one of them replied, "Grazie,
non mi sporco facilmente" (literal translation, "Thanks, I don't dirty
myself easily"), and declined the offer of soap and water.

* * * * *

We paid two or three visits one year to the neighbouring châteaux, and
had one very pleasant afternoon at the Château de Pinon, belonging to
the Courval family. W. had known the late proprietor, the Vicomte de
Courval, very well. They had been colleagues of the Conseil Général of
the Aisne, were both very fond of the country and country life, and
used to have long talks in the evening, when the work of the day was
over, about plantation, cutting down trees, preservation of game, etc.
Without these talks, I think W. would have found the evenings at the
primitive little Hôtel de la Hure, at Laon, rather tedious.

The château is not very old and has no historic interest. It was built
by a Monsieur du Bois, Vicomte de Courval, at the end of the
seventeenth century. He lived at first in the old feudal château of
which nothing now remains. Already times were changing--the thick
walls, massive towers, high, narrow windows, almost slits, and deep
moat, which were necessary in the old troubled days, when all isolated