down through the archway! But what a miserable town! After Fanny had
sketched from the window of the inn a group of children, we finished our
evening by hearing Dumont read, incomparably well, _Les Chateaux
d'Espagne_. In the night we were awakened by the most horrible female
voice, singing, or rather screeching, in the passage--the voice of a
person having a _goitre_, and either mad or drunk. There had been a
marriage of country people in the house, and this lady had drunk a
little too much. We heard Dumont's door open, and he silenced or drove
her away.

Next morning we went, on part of the Simplon route which Buonaparte
made, to St. Gingulph, where we spent some hours on the Lake. Dumont
told us he had been there with Rogers, who was so delighted with its
beauty, that instead of one he spent six days there.

Not having met the Moilliets as expected at St. Maurice, we became very
anxious about them; but upon our arrival at Pregny next day, found them
all very quietly there. Mrs. Moilliet's not being very well kept them at
home. Nothing can be kinder than they are to us.

We dined two days after our return to Pregny at Coppet: the Duke and
Duchess de Broglie are now there, and we met M. de Stein, [Footnote:
Carl, Baron Stein, the Minister of Frederick William IV. of Prussia.] a
great diplomatist, and M, Pictet Deodati, of whom Madame de Stael said,
if one could take hold of Pictet Deodati's neckcloth, and give him one
good shaking, what a number of good things would come out!


MALAGNY, DR. MARCET'S, _Sept_.