lament on the banks of Lake Leman. His remarks, with which so many will
sympathise, lose point and consequence from the fact of his own rapid
translation from one place to another, and from the advantages _we_ gain
by his travelling on the wings of steam. And there is a certain
consolation in the knowledge that in the days when the waters of Geneva
were of 'purest blue,' the accommodation for travellers at the old
hostelries was less favourable to peace of mind.




[Illustration]

CHAPTER X.

_THE VALLEY OF THE SEINE._


In the fruitful hills that border the river Seine, and form part of the
great watershed of Lower Normandy, Nature has poured forth her
blessings; and her daughters, who are here lightly sketched, dispense
her bounties.

It is a pleasant thing to pass homeward through this 'food-producing'
land--to go leisurely from town to town, and see something more of
country life in Normandy--to see the laden orchards, the cattle upon the
hills, and the sloping fields of corn. It is yet early in the autumn,
but the variety of colour spread over the landscape is delightful to the
eye; the rich brown of the buckwheat, the bright yellow mustard; the
green pastures by rivers, and the poppies in the golden corn; the