ROLLO IN GENEVA, BY

 JACOB ABBOTT. 

 NEW YORK: SHELDON & COMPANY, PUBLISHERS, 498 & 500 BROADWAY. 1867. 

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1858, by JACOB ABBOTT, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District ofMassachusetts. 

[Illustration: THE CASTLE OF CHILLON. ]

 [Illustration: ROLLO'S TOUR IN EUROPE. SHELDON & CO. , PUBLISHERS, N. Y. ]

ROLLO'S TOUR IN EUROPE. 

ORDER OF THE VOLUMES. 

 ROLLO ON THE ATLANTIC. ROLLO IN PARIS. ROLLO IN SWITZERLAND. ROLLO IN LONDON. ROLLO ON THE RHINE. ROLLO IN SCOTLAND. ROLLO IN GENEVA. ROLLO IN HOLLAND. ROLLO IN NAPLES. ROLLO IN ROME. 

PRINCIPAL PERSONS OF THE STORY. 

 ROLLO; twelve years of age. MR. And MRS. HOLIDAY; Rollo's father and mother, travelling in Europe. THANNY; Rollo's younger brother. JANE; Rollo's cousin, adopted by Mr. And Mrs. Holiday. MR. GEORGE; a young gentleman, Rollo's uncle. 

 CONTENTS. 

 CHAPTER PAGE

 I. --THE FAME OF GENEVA, 11

 II. --PLANNING, 24

 III. --THE RIDE TO GENEVA, 35

 IV. --THE TOWN, 55

 V. --THE HOTEL, 64

 VI. --A RIDE IN THE ENVIRONS, 71

 VII. --THE JUNCTION OF THE ARVE, 93

 VIII. --SEEING MONT BLANC GO OUT, 108

 IX. --A LAW QUESTION, 122

 X. --AN EXCURSION ON THE LAKE, 134

 XI. --VILLENEUVE, 148

 XII. --THE CASTLE OF CHILLON, 155

 XIII. --PLAN FORMED, 171

 XIV. --WALK TO AIGLE, 179

 XV. --THE JEWELRY, 197

 XVI. --A FORTUNATE ACCIDENT, 209

 ENGRAVINGS. 

 PAGE

 THE CASTLE OF CHILLON, (Frontispiece. )

 THE GREAT NET, 30

 GOING THROUGH THE VILLAGE, 46

 VIEW OF GENEVA, 58

 THE WATER WHEEL, 100

 FISHING, 104

 GOING TO TAKE A SAIL, 132

 THE DUNGEONS OF CHILLON, 161

 THE BASKET RIDE, 185

 SHOPPING AT GENEVA, 203

ROLLO IN GENEVA. 

CHAPTER I. 

THE FAME OF GENEVA. 

Geneva is one of the most remarkable and most celebrated cities inEurope. It derives its celebrity, however, not so much from its size, orfrom the magnificence of its edifices, as from the peculiar beauty ofits situation, and from the circumstances of its history. 

Geneva is situated upon the confines of France, Switzerland, andSardinia, at the outlet of the Lake of Geneva, which is perhaps the mostbeautiful, and certainly the most celebrated, lake in Switzerland. It isshaped like a crescent, --that is, like the new moon, or rather like themoon after it is about four or five days old. The lower end of thelake--that is, the end where Geneva is situated--lies in a comparativelyopen country, though vast ranges of lofty mountains, some of themcovered with perpetual snow, are to be seen in the distance all around. All the country near, however, at this end of the lake, is gentlyundulating, and it is extremely fertile and beautiful. There are a greatmany elegant country seats along the shore of the lake, and on the banksof the River Rhone, which flows out of it. The waters of the lake atthis end, and of the river which issues from it, are very clear, and ofa deep and beautiful blue color. This blue color is so remarkable thatit attracts the attention of every one who looks down into it from abridge or from a boat, and there have been a great many suppositions andspeculations made in respect to the cause of it; but I believe that, after all, nobody has yet been able to find out what the cause is. 

The city of Geneva is situated exactly at the lower end of the lake, that is, at the western end; and the River Rhone, in coming out of thelake, flows directly through the town. 

The lake is about fifty miles long, and the eastern end of it runs farin among the mountains. These mountains are very dark and sombre, andtheir sides rise so precipitously from the margin of the water that inmany places there is scarcely room for a road along the shore. Indeed, you go generally to that end of the lake in a steamer; and as youadvance, the mountains seem to shut you in completely at the end of thelake. But when you get near to the end, you see a narrow valley openingbefore you, with high mountains on either hand, and the River Rhoneflowing very swiftly between green and beautiful banks in the middle ofit. Besides the river, there is a magnificent road to be seen runningalong this valley. This is the great high road leading from France intoItaly; and it has been known and travelled as such ever since the daysof the old Romans. 

The River Rhone, where it flows into the lake at the eastern end of it, is very thick and turbid, being formed from torrents coming down themountain sides, or from muddy streams derived from the melting of theglaciers. At the western end, on the other hand, where it issues fromthe lake, the water is beautifully pellucid and clear. The reason ofthis is, that during its slow passage through the lake it has had timeto settle. The impurities which the torrents bring down into it from themountains all subside to the bottom of the lake, and are left there, andthus the water comes out at the lower end quite clear. The lake itself, however, is of course gradually filling up by means of this process. 

There are several large and handsome houses on the northern shore ofthe lake; but Geneva, at the western end of it, entirely surpasses themall. 

Geneva is, however, after all, a comparatively small town. It containsonly thirty or forty thousand inhabitants. It would take ten Genevas tomake a New York, and nearly a hundred to make a Paris or London. 

Why, then, since Geneva is comparatively so small, is it so celebrated?Almost every person who goes to Europe visits Geneva, and talks ofGeneva when he comes back; while there are multitudes of other citiesand towns, many times as large in extent and population, that he neverthinks of or speaks of at all. 

There are several reasons for this. 

1. The first reason is, that this town stands on the great high roadleading from England and France into Italy. Of course it comes naturallyin the way of all travellers making the grand tour. It is true that atthe present day, since steam has been introduced upon the Mediterranean, a very large proportion of travellers, instead of passing throughSwitzerland, go down the Rhone to Marseilles, and embark there. Butbefore the introduction of steam, for many ages, the way by Geneva wasalmost the only way to Italy; and the city acquired great celebritythrough the accounts of tourists and travellers who visited it on theirjourneys. 

2. The second reason is, that Geneva is a convenient and agreeable pointfor entering Switzerland, and for making excursions among the Alps. There are two great avenues into Switzerland from France andGermany--one by way of Geneva, and the other by way of Basle. By the wayof Basle we go to the Jungfrau and the Oberland Alps which lie aroundthat mountain, and to the beautiful lakes of Zurich and of Lucerne. Allthese lie in the eastern part of the Alpine region. By the way of Genevawe go to the valley of Chamouni and Mont Blanc, and visit the vastglaciers and the stupendous mountain scenery that lie around this greatmonarch of the Alps. 

There is a great question among travellers which of these two Alpineregions is the most grand. Some prefer the mountains about Mont Blanc, which are called the Alps of Savoy. Others like better those about theJungfrau, which are called the Oberland Alps. The scenery and theobjects of interest are very different in the two localities; and itseems to me that any difference which travellers may observe in thegrandeur of the emotions which they severally produce upon the mind mustbe due to the peculiar circumstances or moods of mind in which they arevisited. It is true you can get nearer to the Jungfrau than you can toMont Blanc, and so can obtain a more impressive view of his icy androcky sides and glittering summit. But then, on the other hand, MontBlanc is really the highest peak, and is looked upon as the greatmonarch of them all. 

And here, as the name of Mont Blanc will of course often appear in thisvolume, I have a word or two to say in respect to the properpronunciation of it in America; for the proper mode of pronouncing thename of any place is not fixed, as many persons think, but varies withthe language which you are using in speaking of it. Thus the name of thecapital of France, when we are in France, and speaking French, ispronounced _Par-ree_; but when we are in England and America, and arespeaking English, we universally pronounce it _Par-is_. It is so withalmost all names of places. They change the pronunciation, and often themode of spelling, according to the analogy of the language used by theperson speaking of them. 

Many persons suppose that in order correctly to pronounce the name ofany place we must pronounce it as the people do who live in and aroundthe place. But this is not so. The rule, on the other hand, is, that wemust pronounce it as the people do who live in and around the place _thelanguage of which we are speaking_. Thus the people of France call theircapital _Par-ree_; those of Spain call theirs something likethis, --_Madhreedth_; the Italians pronounce theirs _Roma_; but we, intalking English, say simply, _Paris_, _Madrid_, and _Rome_; in otherwords, when we are talking English, we _talk English throughout_, usingEnglish words for names of things, and English pronunciation for namesof places, in all cases where there is an English pronunciationestablished, --as there is in respect to all the rivers, towns, mountains, and other localities on the globe that are well known andoften spoken of in the English world. 

Mont Blanc is one of these. Like the word _Paris_ it has its Frenchpronunciation for the French, and its English pronunciation for theEnglish; and its English pronunciation is as if it were spelled MountBlank or Mont Blank. Under this name it has been known and spoken offamiliarly all over England and America for centuries; and this, itseems to me, is the proper name to give it when we are speaking English. 

Its French pronunciation is very different. It is one which none but apractical French scholar can possibly imitate, except in a very awkwardmanner. Those who have visited France and Switzerland, and have beenaccustomed to the French sound, often give the word the Frenchpronunciation; but it is not at all necessary to do so. The word, like_Paris_, has its own established English sound; and if it is notpedantry to attempt to give it the French sound when speaking English, it certainly is not a mispronunciation to give it the English one. Indeed, to require the French pronunciation of the word from Englishspeakers would be in effect to banish it almost altogether fromconversation; for among the ten millions, more or less, in England orAmerica, who speak English well, there is probably not one in a thousandthat can possibly give the word its true French pronunciation. 

In reading this book, therefore, and in speaking of the great Swissmountain, you are perfectly safe in giving it its plain English sound, as if it were written Mont Blank; and remember the principle, asapplicable to all other similar cases. Wherever a foreign name hasbecome so familiar to the English world as to have obtained anestablished English pronunciation, in speaking English we give it thatpronunciation, without any regard to the usage of the people who live onthe spot. 

But now I must return to Geneva, and give some further account of thereasons why it has been so celebrated. 

3. The third reason why Geneva has acquired so much celebrity amongmankind is the great number of learned and distinguished philosophersand scholars that have from time to time lived there. Switzerland is arepublic, and the canton of Geneva is Protestant; and thus the place hasserved as a sort of resort and refuge for all the most distinguishedfoes both of spiritual and political tyranny that have risen up inEurope at intervals during the last five hundred years. Geneva wasindeed one of the chief centres of the Reformation; and almost all thegreat reformers visited it and wrote about it, and thus made all theworld familiar with it, during the exciting times in which they lived. 

Besides this, Geneva has been made the residence and home of a greatmany moral and political writers within the last one or two centuries;for the country, being republican, is much more open and free than mostof the other countries of Europe. Men who have incurred the displeasureof their own governments by their writings or their acts find a safeasylum in Geneva, where they can think and say what they please. Allthis has tended very strongly to attract the attention of mankind toGeneva, as to a sort of luminous point in respect to moral andpolitical science, from which light radiates to every part of thecivilized world. 

4. There is one more reason, very different from the preceding, whichtends to make Geneva famous, and to draw travellers to visit it at thepresent day; and that is, it is a great manufacturing place for watchesand jewelry--one of the greatest, indeed, in the world. Travellers, inmaking the tour of Europe, --and American travellers inparticular, --always wish to bring home with them a great number andvariety of purchases; and the things that they buy they very naturallydesire to buy at the places where they are made. It is not merely thatthey hope to get them better and cheaper there, but it is a pleasantthought to be associated always afterwards with any object of use orluxury that we possess, that we bought it ourselves at the place of itsoriginal manufacture. Thus the gentlemen who travel in Europe like tobring home a fowling-piece from Birmingham, a telescope from London, ora painting from Italy; and the ladies, in planning their tour, wish itto include Brussels or Valenciennes for laces, and Geneva for a watch. 

Thus, for one reason or another, immense numbers of people go every yearto Geneva, in the course of the tour they make in Europe, either forbusiness or pleasure. It is estimated that the number of these visitorsannually is not less than thirty thousand; and the chief streets andquays of the town are marked almost as strikingly by the conspicuousnessand splendor of the hotels as Broadway in New York. 

The place of departure in France for Geneva is Lyons. If you look uponthe map you will see the situation of Lyons on the River Rhone, almostopposite to Geneva. There is a railroad from Paris to Lyons, and so ondown the Rhone to Marseilles. But from Lyons up to Geneva--which islikewise situated on the Rhone, at the place where it issues from theLake of Geneva--there was no railroad at the time of Rollo's visit, though there was one in the process of construction. The party wereobliged to travel by _diligence_ on that part of the journey. Thediligence is the French stage coach. The diligence leaves Lyons in theevening, and travels all night. As Mr. Holiday arrived at Lyons theevening before, Rollo had the whole of the day to walk about the townbefore setting out for his evening ride. His father gave him leave to goout alone, and ramble where he pleased. 

"The most curious places, " said his father, "are on the other side ofthe river, where the silk weavers live. Notice what bridge you go over, so that you will know it again, and then if you get lost on the otherside it will be no matter. All you will have to do is to keep comingdown hill till you reach the river, and then look up and down till yousee the bridge where you went over. That will bring you home. And besure to be at home by five o'clock. We are going to have dinner at halfpast five. "

"Then won't it be in season, " asked Rollo, "if I am at home by half pastfive?"

"In season for what?" asked his father. 

"Why, to save my dinner, " said Rollo. 

"Yes, " said his father; "it might be in season to save your dinner, butthat is not what I am planning to save. I have no particular uneasinessabout your dinner. "

"Why, father!" said Rollo, surprised. 

"I have no wish to have you go hungry, " replied his father; "but then ifby any chance you happened to be late at dinner, it would be of no greatconsequence, for you could buy something, and eat it in the diligence bythe way. So I was not planning to save your dinner. "

"Then what were you planning to save, father?" asked Rollo. 

"My own and mother's quiet of mind, " replied Mr. Holiday, "especiallymother's. If five minutes of the dinner hour were to come and youshould not appear, she would begin to be uneasy; and indeed so shouldI. In such cases as this, children ought always to come before the timewhen their parents would begin to feel any uneasiness respecting them. "

Rollo saw at once the correctness of this principle, and he secretlyresolved that he would be at home a quarter before five. 

CHAPTER II. 

PLANNING. 

"What part of the diligence are we going to ride in, father?" askedRollo, as they were seated at dinner. 

"In the coupé, "[A] said Mr. Holiday. 

[Footnote A: Pronounced _coupay_. ]

"Ah, father!" said Rollo; "I wish you would go on the banquette. We cansee so much better on the banquette. "

"It would be rather hard climbing for mother, " said Mr. Holiday, "to getup to the banquette--such a long ladder. "

"O, mother can get up just as easily as not, " said Rollo. "Couldn't you, mother?"

"I am more afraid about getting _down_ than getting up, " said hismother. 

"But it is a great deal pleasanter on the banquette, " said Rollo. "Theykeep talking all the time--the conductor, and the drivers, and the otherpassengers that are there; while in the coupé we shall be all byourselves. Besides, it is so much cheaper. "

"It is cheaper, I know, " said Mr. Holiday; "but then as to the talking, I think we shall want to be quiet, and go to sleep if we can. You see itwill be night. "

"Yes, father, that is true, " said Rollo; "but I had rather hear themtalk. I can understand almost all they say. And then I like to see themchange horses, and to see the conductor climb up and down. Then, besides, at almost all the villages they have parcels to leave at theinns; and it is good fun to see them take the parcels out and toss themdown, and tell the bar maid at the inn what she is to do with them. "

"All that must be very amusing, " said Mr. Holiday; "but it would not beso comfortable for your mother to mount up there. Besides, I haveengaged our places already in the coupé, and paid for them. "

"Why, father!" said Rollo. "When did you do it?"

"I sent last evening, " said Mr. Holiday. "It is necessary to engage theplaces beforehand at this season. There is so much travelling intoSwitzerland now that the diligences are all full. I had to send to threeoffices before I could get places. "

"Are there three offices?" asked Rollo. 

"Yes, " said his father; "there are three different lines. 

"But I'll tell you what you may do, Rollo, if you please, " continued hisfather. "You may go to the bureau, [B] and see if you can exchange yourseat in the coupé for one in the banquette, if you think you would likebetter to ride there. There may be some passenger who could not get aplace in the coupé, on account of my having taken them all, and who, consequently, took one on the banquette, and would now be glad toexchange, and pay the difference. "

[Footnote B: Bureau is the French word meaning office; and Englishpeople, when travelling in France, fall into the habit of using the wordin that sense. ]

"How much would the difference be?" asked Rollo. 

"I don't know, " said Mr. Holiday; "five or six francs, probably. Youwould save that sum by riding on the banquette, and you could have it tobuy something with in Geneva. "

"Well, sir, " said Rollo, joyfully, "I should like that plan very much. "

"But do you think, " said Mrs. Holiday, "that you know French enough toexplain it at the bureau, and make the change?"

"O, yes, mother, " said Rollo; "I have no doubt I can. "

So Rollo said he would finish his dinner as soon as he could, and go offat once to the bureau. 

"There is one other condition, " said his father. "If I let you ride onthe banquette, and let you have all the money that you save for yourown, you must write a full account of your night's journey, and send itto your cousin Lucy. "

"Well, sir, " said Rollo, "I will. "

Rollo left the dinner table while his father and mother were takingtheir coffee. The table was one of a number of separate tables arrangedalong by the windows on the front side of a quaint and queer-lookingdining room--or _salle à manger_, as they call it--in one of the Lyonsinns. Indeed, the whole inn was very quaint and queer, with its oldstone staircases, and long corridors leading to the various apartments, and its antique ceiling, --reminding one, as Mr. Holiday said, of theinns we read of in Don Quixote and other ancient romances. 

Rollo left his father and mother at this table, taking their coffee, andsallied forth to find his way to the bureau of the diligence. 

"If you meet with any difficulty, " said Mr. Holiday, as Rollo went away, "engage the first cab you see, and the cabman will take you directlythere for a franc or so. "

"Yes, sir, " said Rollo, "I will. "

"And if you don't find any cab readily, " continued his father, "engage acommissioner to go with you and show you the way. "

"Yes, sir, " said Rollo. 

A commissioner is a sort of porter who stands at the corners of thestreets in the French towns, ready to do any thing for any body thatcalls upon him. 

Rollo resolved not to employ either a cabman or a commissioner, if itcould possibly be avoided. He took the address of the bureau from hisfather, and sallied forth. 

He first went round the corner to a bookstore where he recollected tohave seen a map of Lyons hanging in the window. He looked at this map, and found the street on it where he wished to go. He then studied outthe course which he was to take. Lyons stands at, or rather near, theconfluence of the two rivers Rhone and Saone. In coming to Lyons fromParis, the party had come down the valley of the Saone; but now theywere to leave this valley, and follow up that of the Rhone to Geneva, which is situated, as has already been said, on the Rhone, at the pointwhere that river issues from the Lake of Geneva. 

The hotel where Rollo's father had taken lodgings was near the Saone;and Rollo found that the bureau was on the other side of the town, whereit fronts on the Rhone. 

So Rollo followed the course which he had marked out for himself on themap. In a short time he saw before him signs of bridges and a river. 

"Ah, " says he to himself; "I am right; I am coming to the Rhone. "

He went on, drawing nearer and nearer. At length he came out upon thebroad and beautiful quay, with large and elegant stone buildings on oneside of it, and a broad but low parapet wall on the other, separatingthe quay from the water. There was a sidewalk along this wall, with manypeople walking on it; and here and there men were to be seen leaningupon the wall, and looking over at the boats on the river. The river wasbroad, and it flowed very rapidly, as almost all water does which hasjust come from Switzerland and the Alps. On looking up and down, Rollosaw a great number of bridges crossing this stream, with teams anddiligences, and in one place a long troop of soldiers passing over. Onthe other side, the bank was lined with massive blocks of stonebuildings. In a word, the whole scene presented a very bright andanimated spectacle to view. 

Nearly opposite to the place where Rollo came out upon the river, hesaw, over the parapet wall that extended along on the outer side of thequay, a very large, square net suspended in the air. It was hung bymeans of ropes at the four corners, which met in a point above, whencea larger rope went up to a pulley which was attached to the end of aspar that projected from the stern of a boat. The net was slowlydescending into the water when Rollo first caught a view of it; so heran across, and looked over the parapet to see. 

[Illustration: THE GREAT NET. ]

The net descended slowly into the water. It was let down by men in theboat paying out the line that held it. 

"Ah, " said Rollo to himself; "that's a curious way to rig a net. Ishould like to stay and see them pull it up again, so as to see how manyfish they take; but business first and pleasure afterwards is the rule. "

So he left the parapet, and walked along the quay towards the placewhere the bureau was situated. 

"I'll come back here, " said he to himself, "when I have got my place onthe banquette, and see them fish a little while, if I find there istime. "

In a few minutes Rollo came to the place he was seeking. It was in alittle square, called Concert Place, opening towards the river. Rolloknew the bureau by seeing the diligence standing before the door. It hadbeen brought up there to be ready for the baggage, though the horseswere not yet harnessed to it. 

Rollo went into the office. He found himself in a small room, withtrunks and baggage arranged along on one side of it, and a littleenclosure of railings, with a desk behind it, on the other. There was ayoung man sitting at this desk, writing. 

"This must be a clerk, I suppose, " said Rollo to himself. 

Opposite to where the clerk was sitting there was a little opening inthe railings, for people to pay their money and take their tickets; forpeople take tickets for places in the diligence, in Europe, just as theydo for the railroad. Rollo advanced to this opening, and, lookingthrough it, he stated his case to the clerk. He said that he had a placein the coupé that his father had taken for him, but that he would ratherride on the banquette, if there was room there, and if any body wouldtake his place in the coupé. 

The clerk said that there had been a great many persons after a place inthe coupé since it had been taken, and that one lady had taken a placeon the banquette, because all the other places in the coach had beenengaged. 

"I think, " said the clerk, "that she will be very glad to exchange withyou, and pay you the difference. She lives not far from here, and if youwill wait a few minutes, I will send and see. "

So the clerk called a commissioner who stood at the door, and aftergiving him his directions, sent him away. In a few minutes thecommissioner returned, saying that the lady was very glad indeed toexchange. He brought in his hand a five franc piece and three francs, which was the difference in the price of the two places. The clerk gavethis money to Rollo, and altered the entry on his books so as to putthe lady in the coupé and Rollo on the banquette. Thus the affair wasall arranged. 

Rollo found that it was now six o'clock. The diligence was not to setout until half past seven; but by the rules of the service thepassengers were all to be on the spot, with their baggage, half an hourbefore the time; so that Rollo knew that his father and mother would bethere at seven. 

"That gives me just an hour, " said he to himself; "so I shall haveplenty of time to go and see how they manage fishing with that big net. "

He accordingly went to see the fishing, but was very careful to returnsome minutes before the appointed time. 

Rollo had a very pleasant ride that night to Geneva. He wrote a long andfull account of it afterwards, and sent it to his cousin Lucy. Thisletter I shall give in the next chapter. 

The reason why Rollo wrote so long an account of his journey was this:that his father required him, when travelling, to spend one hour and ahalf every day in study of some kind; and writing letters, or any otherintellectual occupation that was calculated to advance his education, was considered as study. In consequence of this arrangement, Rollo wasnever in a hurry to come to the end of his letters, for he liked thework of writing them better than writing French exercises, or working onarithmetic, or engaging in any of the other avocations which devolvedupon him when he had no letters on hand. 

CHAPTER III. 

THE RIDE TO GENEVA. 

"DEAR LUCY:

"I am going to give you an account of my night ride from Lyons toGeneva. 

"I got to the diligence office before father came, because I was goingto ride up in the bellows-top. I call it the bellows-top so that you mayunderstand it better. It is a place up in the second story of thediligence, where there are seats for four persons, and a greatbellows-top over their heads. _I_ think it is the best place, thoughpeople have to pay more for the coupé, which is right under it. I goteight francs, which is more than a dollar and a half, for exchanging myseat in the coupé for one on the banquette. I exchanged with a lady. Isuppose she did not like to climb up the ladder. You see in the coupéyou step right in as you would into a carriage; but you have to go upquite a long ladder to get to the banquette. I counted the steps. Therewere thirteen. 

"When I got to the office, the men were using the ladder to put up thebaggage. They put the baggage on the top of the diligence, along thewhole length of it behind the bellows-top. They pack it all in veryclosely, beginning immediately behind, and coming regularly forward, asfar as it will reach. There is a frame over it, and a great leathercovering. They pull the covering forward as fast as they get the trunkspacked, until at last the baggage is all covered over as far forward asto the back of the bellows-top. 

"The men were using the ladders when I came, getting up the baggage; soI climbed up by the little steps that are made on the side of thediligence. I liked my seat very much. Before me was a great leatherboot. The boot was fastened to an iron bar that went across in front, sothat it did not come against my knees. Above me was the bellows-top, tokeep off the rain. Up under the roof of the bellows-top there was a sashfolded together and fastened up by straps. I unfastened one of thestraps, and saw that I could let down the sash if I wished, and thusmake a glass window in front of me, so as to shut me in nicely from thewind, if it should grow cold in the night. Behind me was a curtain. Thecurtain was loose. I pushed it back, and found I could look out on thetop of the diligence where the men were at work packing the trunks andbaggage. The men wore blue frocks shaped like cartmen's frocks. [C]

[Footnote C: Such a frock is called a _blouse_--pronounced _blooze_. Almost all working men in France wear them. Hence the class of workmenin France are sometimes called the _blouses_. ]

"Right before the boot was the postilion's seat. It was a little lowerthan my seat, and was large enough for two. The conductor's seat was atthe end of my seat, under the bellows-top. There was one thing curiousabout his seat, and that is, that there was a joint in the iron bar ofthe boot, so that he could open his end of it, and get out and inwithout disturbing the boot before the rest of the passengers. When Iwanted to get out I had to climb over the boot to the postilion's seat, and so get down by the little iron steps. 

"The reason I wanted to get down was so as to buy some oranges. Therewas a woman down there with oranges to sell. She had them in a basket. Ithought perhaps that I might be thirsty in the night, and that I couldnot get down very well to get a drink of water. So I climbed down andbought four oranges. I bought one for myself, and two to give father andmother, and one more because the woman looked so poor. Besides, theywere not very dear--only fifteen centimes apiece. It takes five centimesto make a sou, and a sou is about as much as a cent. 

"When I had bought my oranges I climbed up into my place again. 

"There were several people beginning to come and stand about the door ofthe bureau. I suppose they were the travellers. Some came in cabs, withtheir trunks on before with the postilion. I counted up how many thediligence would hold, and found that in all, including the twopostilion's seats, and the conductor's, that there were places fortwenty-one. But when we started we had twenty-four in all. Where theother three sat you will see by and by. [D]

[Footnote D: The diligence is very large. It has four separatecompartments. For a more full account of the construction of thevehicle, and for one or two engravings representing it, see Rollo's Tourin Switzerland. ]

"As fast as the passengers came to the office, the men took theirbaggage and packed it with the rest, on the top of the diligence, andthe passengers themselves stood about the door, waiting for the horsesto be put in. 

"Some of the passengers came on foot, with commissioners to bring theirbaggage. The commissioners carried their baggage on their backs. Theyhad a frame something like an old-fashioned kitchen chair strapped totheir shoulders, and the baggage was piled upon this very high. Onecommissioner that came had on his frame, first a big black trunk, placed endwise, and then a portmanteau, then a carpet bag, and on thetop a bandbox. The bandbox reached far above his head. I should notthink they could possibly carry such heavy loads. 

"Presently I saw father and mother coming in a cab. So I climbed down tomeet them. The men in the blouses took their trunk and carried it up theladder, and then I opened the coupé door for them, and let them get in. I told mother that my place was exactly over her head, and that I wasthen going to climb up to it, and that when I was there I would knock onthe floor, and she would know that I had got there safely; and I did. 

"By and by they got all the baggage packed, and they pulled the greatleather covering over it, and fastened it to the back of thebellows-top. Then I could push up the curtain behind me and look in atthe place where the baggage was stowed. It looked like a garret. It wasnot quite full. There was room for several more trunks at the forwardend of it. 

"Pretty soon after this they brought round the horses and harnessed themin. Then the clerk came out of the bureau and called off the names ofthe passengers from his list. First he called the names of those whowere to go in the coupé. He said, in a loud voice, --

"'Monsieur Holiday and Madame Holiday!'

"And he looked in at the coupé door, and father said, 'Here. '

"Then he called out, --

"'Madame Tournay!'

"That was the name of the lady that had changed places with me. So shegot into the coupé. That made the coupé full. 

"In the same manner the clerk called off the names of those who were togo in the interior, which is the centre compartment. The interior holdssix. 

"Then he called off the names of those that were to go in the 'rotonde, 'which is the back compartment. You get into the rotonde by a doorbehind, like the door of an omnibus. 

"Then the clerk called out the names of the people that were to come upto the banquette with me. There were six of them, and there seemed to beonly room for three. So I could not imagine where they were all going tosit. They came in a row, one behind the other, up the ladder. Very soonI saw how they were going to sit; for the three that came first--a manand woman and a girl--when they came into the banquette, pushed up thecurtain at the back side of it, and so climbed in behind to the garret, and sat on the trunks. When the curtain was down, after they were in, they were all in the dark there. 

"However, pretty soon they contrived to fasten up the curtain, and thenthey could see out a little over our shoulders. The girl sat directlybehind me. I asked her if she could see, and she said she could, verywell. 

"The postilion then climbed up, with the reins in his hand, and calledout to the horses to start on. He talked to his horses in French, andthey seemed to understand him very well. The great thing, though, wascracking his whip. You can scarcely conceive how fast and loud hecracked his whip, first on one side and then on the other, till thewhole court rang again. The horses sprang forward and trotted off atgreat speed out of the place, and wheeled round the corner to the quay;and while they were going, the conductor came climbing up the side ofthe coach to his place. 

"The conductor never gets into his place before the diligence starts. Hewaits till the horses set out, and then jumps on to the step, and soclimbs up the side while the horses are going. 

"A diligence is a monstrous great machine; and when it sets out on ajourney in a city, the rumbling of the wheels on the pavement, and theclattering of the horses' feet, and the continual cracking of thecoachman's whip, and the echoes of all these sounds on the walls of thebuildings, make a wonderful noise and din, and every body, when thediligence is coming, hurries to get out of the way. Indeed, I believethe coachman likes to make all the noise he can; for he has sleigh bellson the harness, and, besides cracking his whip, he keeps continuallyshouting out to the horses and the teamsters on the road before him; andwhenever he is passing through a town or a village he does all this morethan any where else, because, as I suppose, there are more people thereto hear him. 

"Presently, after driving along the quay a little way, we turned off toone of the great stone bridges that lead across the Rhone. We went overthis bridge in splendid style. I could see far up and down the river, and trains of wagons and multitudes of people going and coming on theother bridges. The water in the river was running very swift. There weresome boats along the shore, but I don't see how the people could dare toventure out in them in such a current. 

"As soon as we had got over the bridge, we struck into a beautiful roadacross the country, and the postilion cracked on faster and harder thanever. We had five horses, three abreast before, and two behind. Theywent upon the gallop, and the postilion kept cracking his whip aboutthem and over their ears all the time. I thought for a while that he waswhipping them; but when I leaned forward, so that I could look down andsee, I found that he did not touch them with his whip at all, but onlycracked the snapper about them, and shouted at them in French, to makethem go. The road was as hard and smooth as a floor, and it was almostas white as a floor of marble. 

"The country was very beautiful as long as we could see. There were nofences, but there were beautiful fields on each side of the road, divided into squares, like the beds of a garden, with all sorts ofthings growing in them. 

"Every now and then we came to a village. These villages were thequeerest looking places that you can imagine. They were formed of rowsof stone houses, close to each other and close to the street. They wereso close to the street, and the street was usually so narrow, that therewas scarcely room sometimes to pass through. I could almost shake handswith the people looking out the second story windows. I cannot imaginewhy they should leave the passage so narrow between the houses on such agreat road. If there were any people in the street of the village whenwe went through, they had to back up against the wall when we passedthem, to prevent being knocked down. 

"When we were going through any of these villages, the postilion drovefaster than ever. He would crack his whip, and cheer on his horses, andmake noise and uproar enough to frighten half the town. 

"We went on in this way till it began to grow dark. The postilion handedthe lanterns up to the conductor, and he lighted them with some matchesthat he carried in his pocket. The lanterns had reflectors in the backof them, and were very bright. When the postilion put them back in theirplaces on the front of the coach, the light shone down on the roadbefore us, so that the way where the horses were going was as bright asday. 

[Illustration: GOING THROUGH THE VILLAGE. ]

"After a time the moon rose, and that made it pretty bright every where. Still I could not see very far, and as the people around me weretalking, I listened to what they were saying. The conductor was tellingstories about diligences that had been robbed. He said that once, whenhe was travelling somewhere, the diligence was attacked by robbers, andhe was shot by one of them. He was shot in the neck; and he had to keepin his bed six months before he got well. I listened as well as I could, but the diligence made such a noise that I could not understand allhe said, and I did not hear where it was that this happened. I supposeit was probably in Italy, for I have heard that there were a great manyrobbers there. 

"After a while I began to feel sleepy. I don't remember going to sleep, for the first thing I knew after I began to feel sleepy was that I waswaking up. We were stopping to change horses. We stopped to changehorses very often--oftener than once an hour. When we changed horses wealways changed the postilion too. A new postilion always came with everynew team. It was only the conductor that we did not change. He went withus all the way. 

"We changed horses usually in a village; and it was very curious to seewhat queer-looking hostlers and stable boys came out with the new teams. Generally the hostlers were all ready, waiting for the diligence tocome; but sometimes they would be all asleep, and the conductor and thepostilion would make a great shouting and uproar in waking them up. 

"When the new team was harnessed in, the new postilion would climb up tohis seat, with the reins in his hands, and, without waiting a moment, hewould start the horses on at full speed, leaving the poor conductor toget on the best way he could. By the time the horses began to go on thegallop, the conductor would come climbing up the side of the coach intohis place. 

"It was curious to see how different the different teams were in regardto the number of horses. Sometimes we had four horses, sometimes five, and once we had seven. For a long time I could not tell what the reasonwas for such a difference. But at last I found out. It was because someof the stages were pretty nearly level, and others were almost all uphill. Of course, where there was a great deal of up hill they requiredmore horses. At the time when they put on seven horses I knew that wehad come to a place where it was almost all up hill; and it was. Theroad went winding around through a region of hills and valleys, butascending all the time. Still the road was so hard and smooth, and thehorses were so full of life, that we went on the full trot the wholeway. Four horses could not have done this, though, with such a heavyload. It took seven. 

"In almost all the villages we came to we saw long lines of wagons bythe road side. They were very curious wagons indeed. They were small. Each one was to be drawn by one horse. There was no body to them, butonly two long poles going from the forward axletree to the backaxletree; and the load was packed on these poles, and covered withcanvas. It looked just like a big bundle tied up in a cloth. These werewagons that had stopped for the night. Afterwards, when the morningcame, we overtook a great many trains of these wagons, on the road toGeneva. They were loaded with merchandise going from France intoSwitzerland. There was only one driver to the whole train. He went alongwith the front wagon, and all the rest followed on in a line. The horseswere trained to follow in this way. Thus one man could take charge of atrain of six or eight wagons. 

"There was one very curious thing in the arrangement, and that was, thatthe last horse in the train had a bell on his neck, something like a cowbell. This was to prevent the driver from having to look roundcontinually to see whether the rest of the horses were coming or not. Aslong as he could hear the bell on the last one's neck he knew they wereall coming; for none of the middle ones could stop without stopping allbehind them. 

"I suppose that sometimes some of the horses in the train would stop;then the driver would observe that the bell ceased to ring, and he wouldstop his own wagon, and go back to see what was the matter. If he foundthat any of them stopped to eat grass by the way, or because they werelazy, he would give them a whipping, and start them on, and that wouldteach them to keep marching on the next time. 

"I know what I would do if I were the last horse. Whenever I wanted tostop and rest I would keep shaking my head all the time, and that wouldmake the driver think that I was coming along. 

"One time, when we were stopping to change horses, I heard some onebelow me calling to me, "'Rollo!'

"I believe I was asleep at that time, and dreaming about something, though I don't remember what it was. I started up and reached out as faras I could over the boot, and looked down. I found it was my mothercalling to me. 

"'Rollo, ' says she, 'how do you get along?'

"'Very nicely indeed, mother, ' says I; 'and how do you get along?'

"'Very well, ' says she. 

"Just then I happened to think of my oranges; so I asked mother if shewas not thirsty, and she said she was a little thirsty, but she did notsee how she could get any drink until the morning, for the houses wereall shut up, and the people were in bed and asleep. So I told her that Ihad an orange for her and for father. She said she was very glad indeed. 

"I could not get down very well to give the oranges to her, so I putthem in my little knapsack, and let them down by a string. I had thestring in my pocket. 

"Mother took the oranges out of the knapsack, and then I pulled it upagain. I told her that I had plenty more for myself. 

"Father cut a hole in one of the oranges that I sent down to mother, andthen she squeezed the juice of it out into her mouth. She saidafterwards that I could not conceive how much it refreshed her. I don'tthink _she_ could conceive how glad I was that I had bought it for her. 

"A little while after sunrise we came to a village where we were goingto change horses, and the conductor said that we should stop long enoughto go into the inn if we pleased, and get some coffee. So father andmother got out of the coupé, and went in. I climbed down from my place, and went with them. Mother said she went in more to see what sort of aplace the inn was than for the sake of the coffee. 

"It was a very funny place. The floor was of stone. There was one table, with cups on it for coffee, and plates, and bread and butter. The loavesof bread were shaped like a man's arm--about as big round, and a gooddeal longer. The coffee was very good indeed, on account of there beingplenty of hot milk to put into it. 

"After we had had our breakfast we went on, and the rest of our ride wasthrough a most magnificent country. There was a long, winding valley, with beautiful hills and mountains on each side, and a deep chasm in themiddle, with the River Rhone roaring and tumbling over the stones downat the bottom of it. The road went wheeling on down long slopes, andaround the hills and promontories, with beautiful green swells of landabove it and below it. The horses went upon the run. The postilion had alittle handle close by his seat--a sort of crank--that he could turnround and round, and so bring a brake to bear against the wheels, andthus help to hold the carriage back. When he began to go down a slope hewould turn this crank round and round as fast as he could, till it wasscrewed up tight, cheering the horses on all the time; and then he wouldtake his whip and crack it about their ears, and so we go down thehills, and wheel round the great curves, almost on the run, and couldlook down on the fields and meadows and houses in the valley, a thousandfeet below us. It was the grandest ride I ever had. 

"But I have been so long writing this letter that I am beginning to betired of it, though I have not got yet to Geneva; so I am going to stopnow. The rest I will tell you when I see you. 

 "Your affectionate cousin, "ROLLO. "

"P. S. There is one thing more that I will tell you, and that is, thatwe went through a castle at one place in the valley. It was a castlebuilt by the French to guard their frontier. Indeed, there were twocastles. The road passes directly through one of them, and the other ishigh up on the rocks exactly above it. The valley is so narrow, and thebanks are so steep, that there is no other possible place for the roadexcept through the lower castle. The road has to twist and twine about, too, just before it comes to the castle gates, and after it goes awayfrom them on the other side, so that every thing that passes along hassome guns or other pointing at them from the castle for more than amile. I don't see how any enemy could possibly get into France this way. 

"There was also a place where the Rhone goes under ground, or, rather, under the rocks, and so loses itself for a time, and then after a whilecomes out again. It is a place where the river runs along in the bottomof a very deep and rocky chasm, and the rocks have fallen down fromabove, so as to fill up the chasm from one side to the other, and allthe water gets through underneath them. We looked down into the chasm asthe diligence went by, and saw the water tumbling over the rocks justabove the place where it goes down. I should have liked to stop, and toclimb down there and see the place, but I knew that the diligence wouldnot wait. "

CHAPTER IV. 

THE TOWN. 

The valley described by Rollo in his letter to Lucy, contained in thelast chapter, is indeed a very remarkable pass. The Romans travelled itnearly two thousand years ago, in going from Italy to France, or, asthey called it, Gaul. Cæsar describes the country in his Commentaries;and from that day to this it has been one of the greatest thoroughfaresof Europe. 

The valley is very tortuous, and in some places it is very narrow; andthe road runs along through it like a white thread, suspended, as itwere, half way between the lofty summits of the mountains and theroaring torrent of the Rhone in the deep abyss below. 

After emerging from this narrow pass, the road comes out into an opencountry, which is as fertile and beautiful, and as richly adorned withhamlets, villas, parks, gardens, and smiling fields of corn and grain, as any country in the world. At length, on coming over the summit of agentle swell of land, that rises in the midst of this paradise, thegreat chain of the Alps, with the snowy peak of Mont Blanc crowning itwith its glittering canopy of snow, comes suddenly into view. 

"Look there!" said the conductor to the company on the banquette. "Seethere! the Mont Blanc, all uncovered!"

The French always call Mont Blanc _the_ Mont Blanc, and for _all clearand in plain view_ they say _all uncovered_. 

It is calculated that there are only about sixty days in the year, uponan average, when Mont Blanc appears with his head uncovered. They, therefore, whose coming into Switzerland he honors by taking off hiscap, have reason greatly to rejoice in their good fortune. 

Rollo had seen snow-covered mountains shining in the sun before; but hewas greatly delighted with this new view of them. There is indeed apeculiar charm in the sight of these eternal snows, especially when wesee them basking, as it were, in the rays of a warm summer's sun, thatis wholly indescribable. The sublime and thrilling grandeur of thespectacle no pen or pencil can portray. 

[Illustration: VIEW OF GENEVA]

After passing over the hill, and descending into the valley again, thecompany in the diligence came soon in sight of the environs of Geneva. They passed by a great many charming country seats, with neat walls ofmasonry bordering the gardens, and wide gateways opening into prettycourts, and little green lawns surrounding the chateaux. At length thediligence came thundering down a narrow paved street into the town. Every thing made haste to get out of the way. The postilion cracked hiswhip, and cheered on his horses, and shouted out to the cartmen andfootmen before him to clear the way, and made generally as much noiseand uproar as possible, as if the glory of a diligence consisted in thenoise it made, and the sensation it produced in coming into town. 

At length the immense vehicle wheeled round a corner, and came out upona broad and beautiful quay. The quay had a range of very elegant andpalace-like looking houses and hotels on one side, and the water of thelake--exceedingly clear, and bright, and blue--on the other. The placewas at the point where the water of the lake was just beginning to drawin towards the outlet; so that there was a pretty swift current. 

The engraving represents the scene. In the foreground we see the broadquay, with the buildings on one side, and the low parapet wallseparating it from the water on the other. In the middle distance we seethe diligence just coming out upon the quay from the street by which itcame into the town. A little farther on we see the bridge by which thediligence will pass across to the other side of the river--the diligenceoffices being situated in the row of buildings that we see on thefarther side. This bridge is not straight. There is an angle in it atthe centre. From the apex of this angle there is a branch bridge whichgoes out to a little island in the lake. This island is arranged as apromenade, and is a great place of resort for the people of Geneva. There are walks through it and all around it, and seats under the trees, and a parapet wall or railing encircling the margin of it, to preventchildren from falling into the water. 

As the diligence rolled along the quay, and turned to go over thebridge, Rollo could look out in one direction over the broad surface ofthe lake, which was seen extending for many miles, bordered by gentlysloping shores coming down to the water. On the other side the currentwas seen rapidly converging and flowing swiftly under another bridge, and thence directly through the very heart of the town. 

The diligence went over the bridge. While it was going over, Rollolooked out first one way, towards the lake, and then the other way, downthe river. On the lake side there was a steamboat coming in. She wascrowded with passengers, and the quay at the other end of the bridge, where the steamer was going to land, was crowded with people waiting tosee. 

On the other side of the bridge, that is, looking down the stream, Rollosaw a deep blue river running more and more swiftly as it grew narrower. There were several other bridges in sight, and an island also, whichstood in the middle of the stream, and was covered with tall andancient-looking buildings. These buildings indeed more than covered theoriginal island; they extended out over the water--the outer wallsseeming to rest on piles, between and around which the water flowed withthe utmost impetuosity. The banks of the river on each side were walledup, and there were streets or platform walks along the margin, betweenthe houses and the water. There were a great many bridges, some wide andsome narrow, leading across from one bank to the other, and from eachbank to the island between. 

The diligence passed on so rapidly that Rollo had very littleopportunity to see these things; but he resolved that as soon as theygot established in the hotel he would come out and take a walk, andexplore all those bridges. 

"It is just such a town as I like, " said he to himself. "A swift riverrunning through the middle of it--water as clear as a bell--plenty offoot bridges down very near to the water, and ever so many littleplatforms and sidewalks along the margin, where you can stand and fishover the railings. "

In the mean time the diligence went thundering on over the bridge, andthen drove along the quay, on the farther side, past one office afteranother, until it came to its own. Here the horses were reined in, andthe great machine came to a stand. The doors of the lower compartmentswere opened, and the passengers began to get out. Two ladders wereplaced against the side, one for the passengers on the banquette to getdown by, and the other to enable the blouses that stood waiting there touncover and get down the baggage. Rollo did not wait for his turn at theladder, but climbed down the side of the coach by means of anyprojecting irons or steps that he could find to cling to. 

"Now, Rollo, " said Mr. Holiday, "the hotel is pretty near, and we aregoing to walk there. I am going to leave you here to select out ourbaggage, when they get it down, and to bring it along by means of aporter. "

"Yes, sir, " said Rollo; "I should like to do that. But what hotel isit?"

"The Hotel de l'Ecu, " said Mr. Holiday. 

So Mr. And Mrs. Holiday walked along the pier to the hotel, leavingRollo to engage a porter and to follow in due time. 

The porter carried the baggage on his back, by means of a frame, such ashas been already described. Rollo followed him, and thus he arrived atlast safely at the hotel. 

CHAPTER V. 

THE HOTEL. 

One of the greatest sources of interest and pleasure for travellers whovisit Switzerland and the Alps for the first time, especially if theyare travellers from America, is the novelty of the arrangements andusages of the hotels. 

One reason why every thing is so different in a Swiss hotel from what wewitness in America is, that all the arrangements are made to accommodateparties travelling for pleasure. Every thing is planned, therefore, witha view of making the hotel as attractive and agreeable to the guests aspossible. 

The Hotel de l'Ecu, where our party have now arrived, is very pleasantlysituated on the quay facing the lake. It stands near the further end ofthe bridge, as seen in the engraving on page 58. It is the buildingwhere you see the flag flying. 

Indeed, all the principal hotels in Geneva are situated on the quay. Quite a number of the large and handsome edifices which you see in theengraving, on both sides the water, are hotels. The hotel keepers knowvery well that most of the travellers that come to Switzerland come noton business, but to see the lakes, and mountains, and other grandscenery of their country. Accordingly, in almost every place, thesituation chosen for the hotels is the one which commands the prettiestviews. 

Then, in arranging the interior of the house, they always place thepublic apartments, such as the breakfast and dining rooms, and thereading room, in the pleasantest part of it; and they have large windowsopening down to the floor, and pretty little tables in the recesses ofthem, so that while you are eating your breakfast or reading thenewspapers you have only to raise your eyes and look out upon the mostcharming prospects that the town affords. 

Then, besides this, they have gardens, and summer houses, and raisedterraces, overlooking roads, or rivers, or beautiful valleys, and littleobservatories, and many other such contrivances to add to the charms ofthe hotel, and make the traveller's residence in it more agreeable. 

They hope in this way to induce the traveller to prolong his stay attheir house. And it has the intended effect. Indeed, at almost everyhotel where a party of travellers arrive, in a new town, their firstfeeling almost always is, that they shall wish to remain there a week. 

What a pleasant place! they say to each other; and what a beautifulroom! Look at the mountains! Look at the torrent pouring through thevalley! What a pretty garden! And this terrace, where we may sit in theevening, and have our tea, and watch the people across the valley, goingup and down the mountain paths. I should like to stay here all summer. 

Then the next place where they stop may be on a lake; and there, whenthey go to the window of their rooms, or of the breakfast room, theylook out and say, --

Ah! see what a beautiful view of the lake! How blue the water is! Seethe sail boats and the row boats going to and fro. And down the lake, asfar as I can see, there is a steamer coming. I see the smoke. Andbeyond, what a magnificent range of mountains, the tops all covered withglaciers and snow!

When Rollo entered the hotel at Geneva, he found himself ushered firstinto a large, open apartment, which occupied the whole centre of thebuilding, and extended up through all the stories, and was covered witha glass roof above. There were galleries all around this apartment, inthe different stories. Doors from these galleries, on the back sides ofthem, led to the various rooms, while on the front sides were railings, where you could stand and look down to the floor below, and see thetravellers coming and going. 

At one end of this hall was a winding staircase, with broad and easystone steps. This staircase ascended from story to story, andcommunicated by proper landings with the galleries of the severalfloors. 

This hall, though it was thus very public in its character, was veryprettily arranged. The galleries which opened upon it on the differentstories were adorned with balconies, and the walls of it were hung withmaps and pictures of Alpine scenery, pretty engravings of hotelsstanding in picturesque spots on the margins of lakes, or on the banksof running streams, or hidden away in some shady glen, in the midst ofstupendous mountains. Then, besides these pictures, the hall was adornedwith statues, and vases of flowers; and there was a neat little table, with writing materials and the visitor's book upon it, and various otherfixtures and contrivances to give the place an agreeable and home-likeair. 

As Rollo came into the hall, accompanied by the porter, a clerk came outto meet him from a little office on one side, and told him that hisfather and mother were in their room; and he sent a messenger to showRollo and the porter the way to it. 

Rollo accordingly followed the messenger and the porter up stairs, andwas ushered into a very pleasant room on the second story, looking outupon the lake and the river. Rollo went immediately to the window. Hismother was sitting at the window when he entered the room. 

"This is a pretty window, Rollo, " said she; "come and look out. 

"See how many bridges!" said she, when Rollo had come to her side. 

"And how swift the water runs under them!" said Rollo. 

"There are some boys fishing, " said Mrs. Holiday. 

"Yes, " said Rollo; "I should think there would be plenty of trout insuch a river as this, it runs so swift and is so clear. This is justsuch a place as I like. See that big water wheel, mother. "

So saying, Rollo pointed to a large mill wheel which was slowlyrevolving by the side of a building that projected out over the water, on the island. 

The island where Rollo saw the wheel was not the one seen in theengraving on page 58. That is called the _islet_, and it stands _in thelake_, entirely on the outer side of the first bridge. The _island_, onthe other hand, stands in the rapid current of the river, below thesecond bridge, and is entirely covered, as has already been said, withtall and very antique looking buildings. The current is so rapid alongthe sides of this island, and along the adjacent shores, that it willcarry a mill any where wherever they set a wheel. 

"After we have had breakfast, " said Rollo, "I mean to go out and exploreall those bridges, and go about all over the island. "

"Yes, " said Mrs. Holiday; "that will be very pleasant. I should likevery much to go with you; and I will, if the sun does not come out toowarm. "

By this time Mr. Holiday had paid and dismissed the porter; and he nowturned to Rollo, and asked him if he would like to go down and orderbreakfast. Rollo said that he should like to go very much. 

"Go down, then, " said Mr. Holiday, "into the dining room, and choose atable there, near a pleasant window, and order breakfast. "

"What shall I order?" asked Rollo. 

"Any thing you please, " said Mr. Holiday; "you know what will make agood breakfast. "

So Rollo went out of the room, in order to go down stairs. He passedall around the gallery of the story he was in, looking at the picturesthat were hung upon the walls as he went, and then descended thestaircase to the lower floor. Here he found doors opening into thedining room, which extended along the whole front of the hotel towardsthe lake. The room was large, and was very beautifully furnished. Therewas a long table extending up and down the middle of it. On the backside were sofas, between the doors. On the front side was a range ofwindows looking out upon the river. The windows were large, and as thewalls of the hotel were very thick, a recess was formed for each, andopposite each recess was a round table. These tables were all set forbreakfasts or dinners. 

Some of these tables were occupied. Rollo chose the pleasantest of theones that were at liberty, and took his seat by the side of it. Presently a very neatly-dressed and pleasant-looking young man came tohim, to ask what he would have. This was the waiter; and Rollo madearrangements with him for a breakfast. He ordered fried trout, vealcutlets, fried potatoes, an omelette, coffee, and bread and honey. Hisfather and mother, when they came to eat the breakfast, said they wereperfectly satisfied with it in every respect. 

CHAPTER VI. 

A RIDE IN THE ENVIRONS. 

One morning, a day or two after our party arrived at Geneva, Mr. Holidaytold Rollo, as they were sitting at their round breakfast table, at oneof the windows looking out upon the lake, that he had planned a ride forthat day; and he said that Rollo, if he wished, might go too. 

"Well, sir, " said Rollo; "only I think I should like better to go andtake a sail. "

"I believe boys generally like to sail better than to ride, " said Mr. Holiday; "but the places that we are going to are where we cannot reachthem in a boat. However, I will make you an offer. We are going to ridein a carriage to-day, and we should like very much to have you go withus. Now, if you will go with us on this ride, I will go and take you outon the lake to sail some other day. "

"Well, sir, " said Rollo, joyfully. "But how far will you take me?"

"As far as you wish to go, " said Mr. Holiday. 

"O, father!" said Rollo; "I should wish to go to the very farthest endof the lake. "

"Well, " said his father, "I will take you there. "

It must not at all be supposed from this conversation that Mr. Holidayconsidered it necessary to make a bargain with his boy, to induce him togo any where or to do any thing that he desired. He put the case in thisway to amuse Rollo, and to interest him more in proposed expeditions. 

"There are three distinguished personages, " said Mr. Holiday, "whosenames and histories are intimately associated with Geneva, because theyall lived in Geneva, or in the environs of it. These three persons areMadame de Stael, John Calvin, and Voltaire. I will tell you somethingabout them on the way. As soon as you have finished your breakfast youmay go and engage a carriage for us. Get a carriage with two horses, andhave it ready at half past ten. "

Rollo was always much pleased with such a commission as this. He engageda very pretty carriage, with two elegant black horses. The carriage hada top which could be put up or down at pleasure. Rollo had it put down;for, though it was a pleasant day, there were clouds enough in the skyto make it pretty shady. 

There was a front seat in the carriage, where Rollo might sit if hechose; but he preferred riding outside with the postilion. 

"And then, " said Rollo to his father, "if there are any directions to begiven to the postilion, or if you have any questions for me to ask, Ican speak to him more conveniently. "

"Is that the true reason why you wish to ride there?" asked his father. 

"Why, no, father, " said Rollo. "The true reason is, that I can seebetter. "

"They are both very good reasons, " said Mr. Holiday. "Then, besides, when you get tired of riding there you can come inside. "

Accordingly, when the carriage came to the door, Rollo, after seeing hisfather and mother safely seated inside, mounted on the top with thepostilion, and so they rode away. 

They repassed the bridge by which they had entered Geneva, and thenturned to the right by a road which led along the margin of the lake, ata little distance from the shore. 

The road was very smooth and hard, and the country was beautiful. Sometimes the road was bordered on each side by high walls, which formedthe enclosures of gardens or pleasure grounds. Sometimes it was open, and afforded most enchanting views of the lake and of the ranges ofmountains beyond. But what chiefly amused and occupied Rollo's mind wasthe novelties which he observed in the form and structure of every thinghe saw by the wayside. Such queer-looking carts and wheelbarrows, suchodd dresses, such groups of children at play, such gates, suchfarmyards, such pumps and fountains by the roadside--every thing, indeed, was new and strange. 

After the party had been riding about an hour and a half, they passedthrough a village which consisted, like those which Rollo had seen onthe road from Lyons, of compact rows of old and quaint-looking stonehouses, close to the roadside. The postilion stopped at this village togive the horses a little drink. 

"Now, Rollo, " said Mr. Holiday, "I wish you would get down, and comeinside a little while. "

Rollo obeyed; and when the carriage began to go on again, his fatheraddressed him as follows:

"We are going to see the residence of Madame de Stael. She was one ofthe most celebrated ladies that ever lived. She was distinguished as anauthoress. You don't know any thing about her now, and I suppose youdon't care much about her. "

"No, sir, " said Rollo; "I do not. "

"But then, " continued his father, "in a few years more you will veryprobably read some of her writings; and at any rate you will often hearof them. One of the most celebrated of her works is a tale calledCorinne. "

"Ah, yes, " said Rollo; "I have heard of Corinne. The first class inFrench studied it at school. "

"Very likely, " said Mr. Holiday. "It is a very good text book forstudying French. At any rate it is a famous book, and Madame de Stael isa very celebrated author. She was a lady, too, while she lived, of greatpersonal distinction. Her rank and position in society were veryexalted. She associated with kings and princes, and was closelyconnected with many of the great political transactions of the day inwhich she lived. This, of course, added greatly to her renown. 

"Her father was a very distinguished man, too. His name was MonsieurNecker. He was a great statesman and financier. The King of France gothis money affairs in the greatest confusion and difficulty, and heappointed Monsieur Necker his minister of finance, to try to put them inorder. "

"And did he succeed?" asked Rollo. 

"No, " said Mr. Holiday; "it was too late. The disorder was hopeless, andit ended in the great French revolution. But Necker became a verycelebrated character in history. We are going to see the chateau wherehe lived. We shall see the room where his daughter wrote Corinne. Iwish you to observe carefully all that you see, and remember it. Hereafter, when you come to read the history of France and the writingsof Madame de Stael, you will look back with great pleasure to the visityou made when a boy to the chateau of Necker, near Geneva. "

"Yes, sir, " said Rollo, "I will. "

A short time after this the carriage stopped in a shady place under sometrees, near the entrance to a village. The postilion descended andopened the carriage door, and then pointed up an avenue of trees, whichhe said led to the chateau. Mr. And Mrs. Holiday got out of the carriageand walked up the avenue. Rollo followed them. 

They came at length to the chateau. There was a large portal, closed byan iron gate. On one side of the portal was a lodge. A porter came outof the lodge, and Mr. Holiday asked him if they could see the chateau. He answered very politely that they could; and immediately opening theiron gate, he ushered the whole party into the court yard. 

The court yard was a very pleasant place. It was surrounded on threesides by the buildings of the chateau, which were quite imposing intheir character, like a palace. The fourth side was formed by a handsomewall, with a large ornamented gateway in the centre of it, leading intoa garden. 

The entrance to the chateau was at a large door in the middle of oneside of the yard. The porter ascended the steps, and rang the bell. Hesaid to Mr. Holiday that some one would come to conduct the party overthe chateau, and then went back to his lodge. 

Presently a well-dressed man came to the door. He received the party ina very polite and friendly manner, and invited them in. 

The first apartment that they entered was a hall. The hall was verylarge, and was finished and furnished like a room, with chairs, sofas, and a great fireplace. On one side was a broad stone staircase, ornamented with a massive balustrade. The concierge led the way up thisstaircase to a sort of gallery on the second story. From this gallery adoor opened, leading to the suite of apartments which Monsieur Neckerand his distinguished daughter had occupied. 

The rooms were constructed and arranged in the style common in Frenchpalaces. They were situated in the line of building which formed thefront of the chateau; and on the front side of each of them were windowslooking out upon the lake. Of course these windows formed the range ofwindows in the second story of the principal front of the edifice. 

On the back side of each of these rooms was a door communicating withthe gallery behind them, or with some subordinate apartments dependingupon them. 

Besides these doors, there were others which connected the differentapartments of the suite with each other. These doors were all in a line, and they were near the side of the room where the windows were whichlooked out upon the lake. Thus one could pass through the whole suite ofapartments by walking along from one to another through these doors, passing thus just in front of the range of windows. 

The rooms were all beautifully furnished in the French style. There wererichly carved cabinets and book cases, and splendid mirrors, and sofasand chairs, and paintings and statues. One room was the library. Anotherwas a bedroom. In one there were several portraits on the wall. Mr. AndMrs. Holiday seemed particularly interested in examining theseportraits. One represented Madame de Stael herself; another, her father, Monsieur Necker; a third, her mother, Madame Necker. Besides these, there were some others of the family. 

Rollo looked at all these portraits, as his father requested him to do;but he was more interested in two other objects which stood on a tablein the same room. These objects were two little figures, onerepresenting a horse and the other a lamb. These figures were under aglass. The horse was about a foot long, and the lamb about six inches. The horse was of a very pretty form, and was covered with hair, like aliving animal. The lamb in the same manner was covered with wool. Indeed, they were both in all respects models of the animals theyrepresented in miniature. 

Rollo asked the concierge what they were. 

"Ah, " said he, "those are models of a favorite horse and a favorite lambthat belonged to Monsieur Necker. When they died he was very sorry; andhe had these models of them made, to perpetuate the memory of them. "

After this, in other rooms, the party were shown the table at whichMadame de Stael sat in writing Corinne, and the inkstand that she used;and when they went down stairs, the concierge showed them into a largehall, which was situated directly below the rooms they had beenvisiting, where he said Madame de Stael used to have her dramasperformed from time to time before an audience of friends and visitorsfrom the neighborhood. 

At length the concierge conducted the party to the door where they hadcome in. There Mr. Holiday, after giving him a franc, thanked him forhis politeness, and bade him good bye. The party took a little walk inthe garden, and then returned to the carriage and rode away. 

The bodies of Monsieur Necker and of his daughter lie buried in a littlegrove of trees near the house. The party saw the grove, but visitors arenot allowed to go to the graves. 

On leaving the chateau, the carriage turned off from the lake, and tooka road that led back more into the interior. 

"What are we going to see next, father?" said Rollo. 

"We are going to see the house where the famous philosopher, Voltaire, lived, " replied Mr. Holiday; "though on the way we are going to see afountain and cascade. "

"Is there any thing very remarkable about the fountain?" asked Rollo. 

"I don't know, " said Mr. Holiday; "only it is mentioned in the guidebooks as worth being visited. "

So the carriage drove on through a very beautiful country, with fields, and gardens, and country seats, and ancient chateaux bordering the way. From time to time, Rollo, on looking back, obtained splendid views ofthe lake behind him, and of the gently-sloping and highly-cultivatedshore on the opposite side, with the snowy range of the Alps beyond, shining in the sun. 

At length they arrived at a village, and stopped before an inn. Thepostilion said that they were to stop there with the carriage, and go tothe fountain on foot. 

"I will call some one to show you the way, " said he. 

So he went to one of the houses across the street, and called a woman ofthe village, and she said that she would go to the school and call herboy. 

"But it is a pity, " said Mr. Holiday, "to take the boy away from hisschool. "

"O, no, " said the woman; "that is nothing at all. "

So she ran along the street of the village until she came to the schoolhouse, and presently she returned with the boy. He had a book in hishand. Rollo looked at the book, and found that it was a grammar. Thecovers of it were worn, and the leaves tumbled, and the beginning andend of it were filled with names scribbled on the blank pages, and rudedrawings, which made it look exactly like the school books of idle boys, as Rollo had often seen them in America. 

Rollo gave back the book to the boy, and the boy gave it to his mother, and then he began walking along the road, to show the party the way tothe fountain. 

He led them out of the village, and along the pleasant road, until atlength they came to a place where there was an open gateway, throughwhich they could see the beautiful grounds of a large country house, which appeared like a hotel. There were ladies and gentlemen walkingabout the grounds, along the margin of a large stream of water, orsitting in groups under the trees. 

"What place is that?" said Rollo to the boy. 

"It is a place of baths, " said the boy. 

Rollo wished to go in there and see the grounds; but the boy walked on, and so Rollo followed him. After a time the guide turned off into afield, and there took a path which led down toward a wood, where theycould hear water running. When they came into the wood they saw thewater. It was a large stream, large enough for a mill stream, and it ranfoaming and tumbling down over its rocky bed in a very picturesquemanner. 

The walk led along the bank of the stream, under the trees. It was awide and very pleasant walk, and was well gravelled. Here and therethere were little seats, too, at pretty places formed by the windings ofthe glen. 

After walking along a little way, and not coming to any thing more, Mrs. Holiday began to be tired. 

"I wonder, " said she, "if there is any thing remarkable to see at theend of this path. "

"I'll ask the boy, " said Rollo. 

"Boy, " he added, speaking to the little guide, "what is there to see uphere?"

"It is this, " said the boy, pointing to the brook. 

"Isn't there any thing else besides this stream?" asked Rollo. 

"No, " said the boy. 

"He says there is not any thing else, " said Rollo to his mother; "and soI don't believe it is worth while to go any farther. We have seen thisbrook enough, and you will get very tired. "

Mrs. Holiday sat down upon a green bench that happened to be near, at aturn of the stream, in order to take time to consider the question. 

Mr. Holiday sat down beside her. 

"We will wait here, Rollo, while you go on with the boy, and see whatyou can find. I think there must be something or other remarkable, forthey would not make so good a path as this to lead to nothing at all. You may go on with the boy, and see what it comes to, and then you cancome back and tell us. "

Rollo liked this plan very much, and so he and the boy walked on. 

In about five minutes Mr. Holiday heard Rollo calling to him. 

"FA-THER! FA-THER!" said he. 

"_Well_, " said Mr. Holiday, "_I hear_. "

"Come up here, " said Rollo, calling out again. "It is a very curiousplace indeed. "

So Mr. And Mrs. Holiday rose, and after following the path a shortdistance farther through the wood, they came to where Rollo was. Theyfound, to their astonishment, that there the brook which they had beenfollowing so long came to a sudden end, or rather to a sudden beginning;for the whole volume of water that composed it was seen here to comeboiling up out of the ground in a sort of shallow basin, which wasformed on the hill side at the head of the glen. 

The place was very secluded, but it was very beautiful. It was shadedwith trees, which overhung the paths, and the basin, and the variouschannels of water which flowed from it and around it. The water boiledup very copiously from between the stones that had been set up to formthe margin of the basin, and also among the sands which formed thebottom of it. The walk was conducted all around this singular fountain;and it passed across the outlet, where the stream flowed away from it, over a neat little stone dike, which formed the edge of the basin on thelower side. 

Rollo led the way to the middle of this dike, and his father and motherfollowed. They stood there for some time, looking down into the basinto see the water boil up from between the stones and among the sands. 

"This is a very curious place indeed, " said Mrs. Holiday. 

"It certainly is, " said Mr. Holiday. 

"Well, father, " said Rollo, after gazing for some time into the bubblingand boiling fountain, "where does all this water come from? What makesit come up out of the ground?"

"Why, the truth is, " said Mr. Holiday, "though it seems to come _up_, itreally comes _down_. 

"Do you see all this mountain up here?" he added. So saying he pointedto the land which seemed to rise to a great height above the head of theglen. 

"Yes, sir, " said Rollo. 

"Well, this mountain, " continued Mr. Holiday, "is full of water. Allmountains are full of water, for it rains on the summits and sides ofthem almost continually, and this keeps them always full. Generally thiswater drains off down into the valleys, through the beds of sand andgravel that lie in the heart of the mountain, and so is not particularlyobserved. Sometimes it breaks out in small springs, at various places onthe mountain sides; and sometimes the shape of the rocks and openings inthe mountain are such as to collect a great quantity of it in oneplace, where it breaks out into the open ground altogether, as it doeshere. There are a great many such fountains in Switzerland. "

"Are there any larger than this?" asked Rollo. 

"Yes, " said Mr. Holiday, "ten times as large. Sometimes the water formsquite a little river almost immediately after it comes out of theground. "

"I should like to see them, " said Rollo. 

"Very likely you will see some of them, " said his father. 

"But then, father, " said Rollo, "if this water all comes from the rain, I should think that when it stops raining on the mountain above, then orsoon afterwards the water would stop boiling up here. "

"No, " said his father; "the mountain is so large, and the immense bedsof sand, gravel, and rock which it contains hold so much water, thatbefore all that has fallen in one rain has time to get drained away, another rain comes, and so there is a perpetual supply, especially forsuch fountains as come from channels that reach far into the mountain. "

After rambling about this spot for some time, the party returned downthe path; but instead of going back into the road again by the way theycame, the boy led them through a gate into the grounds of the hotelwhich they had seen in coming. 

The grounds were very beautiful, being shaded with trees, and full ofwalks; and the stream which came down the glen spread itself out invarious directions all over them, filling a great number of channels andbasins which had been opened here and there, and were seen in everydirection among the trees and foliage. The water flowed very swiftlyalong from one of these basins to another, sometimes in a continuoustorrent, and sometimes by a series of cascades and waterfalls; and inthe bottoms of all the little ponds the water was seen boiling up in theclean gray sand, just as it had done in the fountain up the glen. 

There were walks every where along the banks of these streams, andlittle bridges leading across them. There were seats, too, and bowers, and a great many other pretty places. At one spot under a tree was alarge white swan, or rather a sculptured image of one, sitting on amarble stone, and pouring out a constant stream of clear cold water fromhis mouth. Underneath, on a little marble slab, was a tumbler, placedthere to enable people to take a drink. Rollo stopped to take a drink;but instead of using the tumbler, he caught the water in a drinking cupwhich he had bought in Scotland, and which he always carried in hispocket. 

After rambling about these grounds for some time, the party went backthrough the yard of the hotel to the village. There they dismissed theboy. Mr. Holiday gave him half a franc for guiding them. Then they gotinto their carriage again, and rode on. 

In about an hour they came to a little village named Ferney, near whichwas the chateau that was formerly the residence of the celebratedphilosopher Voltaire. The carriage stopped under some ancient trees, andMr. And Mrs. Holiday and Rollo got out and walked up an avenue. At thehead of the avenue they came to a gate which led into the grounds of thechateau. 

There was a bell cord hanging by this gate, and a placard up, requestingvisitors to ring the bell, and not to enter the grounds until thedomestic should come to guide them. 

"Shall I ring, father?" said Rollo. 

"Yes, " said Mr. Holiday; "ring away. "

So Rollo pulled the bell rope, and very soon a domestic came. Hereceived the company very politely, and invited them to follow him. 

Mr. And Mrs. Holiday and Rollo accordingly followed him into the yard. The domestic led them round to the front of the house, which was turnedaway from the road. The front faced a beautiful lawn, ornamented withwalks and trees. In one place there was a table under the trees, withseats around it, as if the family were accustomed sometimes to taketheir tea there. From this lawn there was a beautiful view of the lakeand of the mountains beyond. 

The domestic led them into the house, and showed them the two rooms init which contained most of the memorials of Voltaire. The mostremarkable of these memorials was a marble monument which stood on oneside of the room, and which Rollo said looked like an ornamental stove, that contained Voltaire's _heart_. His body was buried in Paris, but hisheart was deposited in this sepulchral urn. 

Besides this there were a number of pictures in the room, which had beenplaced there by Voltaire. Some of them had been given to him by theemperors and kings that he had been acquainted with. 

Rollo, however, did not take much interest in any of these things. Thesingular appearance of the room and of the furniture interested him insome degree by its novelty, but in other respects he was very littleamused by what he saw. He was glad when the visit to the house was over, and he came out again upon the lawn. 

From the lawn there was a very splendid view. There was a broad and veryfertile slope of land extending for several miles down to the shore ofthe lake. Beyond it was seen the blue expanse of the water, and stillfarther another magnificent slope of fertile and richly-cultivated land, which extended back beyond the lake to the foot of the mountains. Alofty range of snow-clad summits rose in the distance, the toweringsummit of Mont Blanc reposing like a monarch in the midst of them. 

There was a curious covered walk along on one side of this lawn. It wasa walk covered with foliage. It was walled in on the sides, too, as wellas covered above with the foliage. Two hedges had been planted, one oneach side; and as they had grown, the leaves and branches had beentrimmed off straight and smooth like a wall. Then the tops had beentrained to meet overhead, and the foliage had been trimmed square andflat on the upper side, and in an arch on the under side. So dense wasthe growth of the leaves and branches that the whole alley was closelyand completely enclosed, so that it would not have been possible to lookout of it at all, had it not been that a row of square openings likewindows had been made on the side towards the lake. Any one could lookout and view the scenery through these openings as he walked along. 

Voltaire used to compose his works in this alley, it was said. He wouldwalk up and down, and dictate as he walked to his amanuensis, who satnear at hand with pen and ink to write down the philosopher's words. 

After this the domestic conducted the party through a wood, and showedthem a tree which Voltaire had planted. It was now a tree of great size, and apparently far advanced in age. 

Rollo took very little interest in this tree, and even his father andmother did not appear to pay much attention to it. It seemed, however, that other visitors had not felt the same indifference to it, for thosewho had come to see it had picked off and cut off so many pieces of barkto carry away as relics that the tree, on one side had become entirelyexcoriated, and there was danger that in the end the poor sufferer fromthese depredations would be killed. In order to protect it, therefore, from any further injury, the proprietor had surrounded it with a littlecircular paling, so that now nobody could come near enough to touch thetree. 

Rollo was glad when the visit to this place was ended; so he ran onbefore his father and mother in going out, and was on his seat by theside of the postilion long before they came to the carriage. 

Ferney, though so near to Geneva, is within the confines of France, andthe carriage passed the line between the two countries in going home. There was a little custom house and two or three armed policemen at thefrontier; but the party of travellers were not molested, and so in duetime they arrived safely home. 

CHAPTER VII. 

THE JUNCTION OF THE ARVE. 

One evening, when Rollo was walking with his father and mother on one ofthe bridges which led over the river, they stopped at a place where twoboys were fishing, and looked down over the railing into the water. Thewater was quite deep, but they could see the stones on the bottom of italmost as distinctly as if they had been looking only through the air. 

"How very clear the water is!" said Mrs. Holiday; "and what a beautifultinge it has! What is the reason of it?"

"I don't know what the reason is of the blue tinge, " said Mr. Holiday;"but the cause of its being so clear is, that it flows out of this greatlake, where it has been lying so long that it has had time to settleperfectly. 

"There is a great difference in the streams of Switzerland, " continuedMr. Holiday. "Some are exceedingly clear, and some are exceedinglyturbid. There are two ways by which the turbid waters become purified. One is, by being filtered through the sands under ground; and the otheris, by '_settling_', as we call it, in the lakes. The water of thefountain that we saw on our way to Ferney was beautifully clear, and itwas made so by filtration in the sand, in coming down through the heartof the mountain. This water, on the other hand, is made clear by itsimpurities subsiding in the lake. "

"And it comes in muddy at the other end, " said Rollo. 

"Not muddy, exactly, " rejoined Mr. Holiday, "but very turbid. Theturbidness of it is not mud precisely. It comes from the grinding up ofrocks by the slow march of the glaciers over and among them. Thus allthe streams that come from glaciers are very turbid; and so long as thewaters flow on in an uninterrupted stream they continue turbid; but whenthey form a lake, the particles of stone subside, and the water comesout at the lower end of the lake perfectly clear. "

"And then continues clear till it gets to the ocean, I suppose, " saidMrs. Holiday. 

"Yes, " replied Mr. Holiday, "unless some other turbid stream, which hasno lake to settle itself in, falls into it and pollutes it again. 

"That is the case with this river. It is very clear and beautiful here, where it comes out of the lake, but the Arve comes in a mile or twobelow Geneva, and brings an immense volume of turbid water. This makesthe whole river turbid again after the waters of the two rivers haveflowed long enough together to get well mixed, and then it continuesturbid all the way to the sea. There is no other lake to settle it. 

"I am told, " said Mr. Holiday, "that the coming in of the turbid torrentof the Arve into the clear blue waters of the Rhone is a very prettyspectacle, and I should like very much to see it; but it is rather toofar to go. "

"O, no, father, " said Rollo; "let us go. "

"How far is it?" asked Mrs. Holiday. 

"About a mile, I should think, by the map, " said Mr. Holiday; "but thereseems to be no carriage road to the place. If there had been a carriageroad I should have taken you there; for I should like very well to haveyou see the place. "

"But, father, we can walk there very easily, " said Rollo. "There is anice path along the bank of the river. I saw it the other day, when Iwas down below the bridge. "

"Well, " said Mrs. Holiday, "I should like to go very much, if we couldgo in the morning or in the evening, when it is cool. Is the walk shady, Rollo?"

"Yes, mother, it is shady in the morning. There is a high hedge allalong on one side of the path, and that keeps the sun off in themorning. In the evening the sun comes round to the other side. "

"Then we will go in the morning, " said Mrs. Holiday. "Let us get upearly to-morrow morning, and go before breakfast. "

Mrs. Holiday was really desirous of seeing this famous junction of theRhone and the Arve; but her chief interest in making the excursion arosefrom her sympathy with Rollo, and from observing how much he wished togo. It is always so with a mother. When her children are kind andattentive to her, and obedient to her wishes, she always desires moststrongly to do what will most gratify them. 

The plan was arranged according to Mrs. Holiday's proposal, and the nextmorning the party set out at half past six o'clock. Rollo led the way. 

"What I should like best, " said Rollo, turning round so as to face hisfather and mother, and walking backward, "would be to take a boat, andshoot down the river under these bridges. "

"Ah, " said his father, "that would not do. The current is too swift. Atany rate, if you were to go down you would never get the boat backagain. The water runs like a mill race. 

"Indeed, it _is_ a mill race, " continued Mr. Holiday. "Don't you see themill wheels projecting into the stream, here and there? They are carriedby the natural force of the current. "

After passing by the buildings of the town, Rollo led the way over anarrow wooden bridge, which passed across the old moat of the town. Theremains of a monstrous bastion were to be seen beyond it. 

"This is a part of the old fortifications, " said Rollo. "They arecutting them all to pieces now with roads and bridges leading in and outthe town. "

After going beyond these embankments, Rollo led the way to a path whichlay along the river side. Very soon the path began to be a very pleasantone indeed. Mrs. Holiday was delighted with it. It was close to themargin of the water, and only a very few inches above the level of it. The current was very swift, and the water was so blue, and clear, andbeautiful, that it was a continual pleasure to look down into it, and towatch the little waves and ripples that curled, and twirled, and dashedagainst the shore. 

There was a row of willows between the paths and the water, or rather inthe margin of the water, for the path was so near to the stream thatthere was scarcely room for the willows on the land. On the other sideof the path there was a close hedge, which formed the boundary of aregion of fields, meadows, and gardens. Here and there were gatesleading through this hedge; and the party, as they walked along, couldlook through the openings and see the peasant girls coming out to theirwork from the houses. The whole region, though it was highly cultivatedand extremely beautiful, was very flat and level, and was only raisedtwo or three feet above the level of the water. 

From each gateway or other opening through the hedge there were pathsleading off through the fields and gardens to the houses; and there weresteps at the gates leading down to the pathway that lay along the marginof the stream. The people of the houses were accustomed, it seemed, tocome down there to get water. 

Thus the party walked along, with the rapid current of the river closeto their feet on one side, and the high green hedge shutting them in onthe other, while the tops of the willow trees spreading over their headscompleted the coolness and shadiness of the pathway. Rollo led the way, and his father and mother followed, one by one, for the path was notwide enough for two to walk together. 

[Illustration: THE WATER WHEEL. ]

Presently they came to a place where a large water wheel of a verycurious construction was seen revolving quite near the shore. Theystopped to look at it. They liked to see it revolving; and then besidesthey wished to examine the construction of it. It was mounted on a frameof timbers that had been set up for it in the water, at a littledistance from the shore. The wheel itself was much like the wheel of asteamboat; only, in addition to the ordinary float boards, it had aseries of buckets on the edge of it, which took up the water from thestream, as the wheel revolved, and emptied it into a trough above, asthey went over. From this trough there was a circular pipe, made verystrong, which conveyed the water by a subterranean aqueduct into thefield opposite, where it rose into a reservoir by the pressure of thecolumn in the pipe, and was used to irrigate the ground. 

Across the river at this place was a beautiful view of fields, vineyards, terraces, and gardens; for on that side the bank was high, and as the sun shone directly upon it, the whole scene presented to viewwas extremely bright and beautiful. 

At one of the gates which opened through the hedge, Rollo stopped tolook in. He saw gardens laid out in squares, with corn, and beans, andvarious garden vegetables growing luxuriantly in them. There were rowsof fruit trees, too, bordering the paths, and at a distance were to beseen houses scattered here and there over the plain, the dwellings ofthe owners of the land. Each house had its little barns and granariesconnected with it, the whole group being half concealed by the foliageof the trees and shrubs that had been planted around it. 

"Will it do for us to go in, " said Rollo to his father, "and walk a partof the way through these gardens?"

"Yes, " said his father, "I presume it will do; but perhaps we had bettergo down all the way by the path, and come back by the gardens. "

"Yes, sir, " said Rollo; "that will be much the best plan. 

"But, father, " continued Rollo, "if we should go across these gardens, and keep on in that direction for some time, I suppose that we shouldcome to the Arve. "

"Yes, " said his father; "the Arve is coming down from the mountains, andflowing towards the Rhone not very far from here, on the other side ofthis flat land. This land constitutes a sort of tongue lying between thetwo rivers. I suppose it has been formed by the deposits that the Arvebrings down. I have no doubt that if we should walk across the tongue ofland, we should come to the Arve; but it is better to go on down thepath till we reach the point where the two rivers come together. "

"Well, " said Rollo, "we will go on. "

So they went on along the path, as before. 

Rollo soon had occasion to be glad that he had acceded so readily to hisfather's wishes to continue in the path; for he soon came to somethingthat amused him very much. It was a man sitting in the top of one of thewillow trees that overhung the path, fishing. The willow leaned verymuch, and this made it easy to climb the stem of it. It had been headeddown, too, so that there was a pretty good place to sit on the top ofit. It was on the very brink of the stream, and indeed the leaning ofthe stem carried the top of the willow somewhat over the water, and thusit made quite a good place to sit and fish. 

The current flowed very swiftly under the willow tree, and the fishingline was carried far down the stream. 

"Ah!" said Rollo; "that is just such a place as I should like to have. Ishould like to sit up in that tree and fish all the morning. "

"I should think it might be a little lonesome, " said Mr. Holiday. 

"No, " said Rollo; "or perhaps there might be some other boys in theother trees. "

So saying, Rollo looked up and down the stream, to see if there wereany other trees so formed as to furnish a seat for a fisherman in thetop of them; but there were none. 

Here you see a picture of the man as Rollo saw him. 

[Illustration: FISHING. ]

As the party went on after this they found evidences increasing thatthey were drawing near to the junction of the rivers. The hedge becameless regular, and at length ceased altogether. Its place was suppliedby dense thickets formed of alders, willows, and long grass. The groundbecame more and more uneven, and at length nothing of the path was leftbut a narrow ridge or dike that had been formed artificially along theshore, with a crooked little footway on the top of it. 

At last Rollo began to see through the bushes occasional glimpses ofwater on the other side. 

"There, father!" said he, "there! We are coming to the Arve. "

"Yes, " said Mrs. Holiday; "and I don't suppose that we can go muchfarther. "

Indeed, it would have been impossible to go much farther, if there hadnot been a small embankment made to serve for a pathway. The party, though expecting every moment to be obliged to turn back, still went on. At length the whole expanse of the Arve opened before them as it came infrom the left--its waters boiling, whirling, and sweeping in greatcircles as it came on, and the whole surface of it as gray as the sandon the shores. On the other side was the Rhone, blue, and pellucid, andbeautiful as the sky above. 

"What an extraordinary spectacle!" said Mr. Holiday. 

"Come, mother, " said Rollo, "we can go on a good deal farther yet. "

Rollo was right; for the walk, instead of coming to an end at theextremity of the point which separated the two rivers, was continuedalong a little dike or embankment which seemed to have been madeartificially some distance down between the two streams. This dike wasvery narrow, being just wide enough indeed for a narrow footpath. 

In advancing along this path it was very curious to observe the totallydifferent aspects of the water on the two sides of it. On the one sideit was turbid and gray, and perfectly opaque. You could not have seenthe pollywogs in the shallowest places along the margin. On the otherside it was so clear and transparent that you could have seen fishesswimming where it was ten feet deep. It was of such a rich and beautifulblue color, too, as if it had been tinted with a dye, and the color wasof so rich and brilliant a hue, that Mrs. Holiday was continuallyadmiring and praising it. 

This narrow path, dividing thus the waters of the two rivers, continuedseveral yards; but at length it came to an end. The party all went ontill they reached the extremity of it, and there, looking still fartheron, they saw the line of demarcation between the gray water and theblue extending itself before them as far as they could see. The tworivers remained for a long distance perfectly distinct, thoughstruggling and contending against each other, as it were, all the way. The line was broken and indented all along by the strife of thewaters--the gray for a moment penetrating into the blue, and then thenext instant the blue forcing itself into the gray. The waters went onstruggling against each other in this manner as far as the eye couldfollow them. 

The party remained on the extremity of the point a long time, observingthis singular phenomenon. At length it began to be pretty warm there;for the narrow tongue of land which projected so far between the twocurrents was exposed to the sun, which had now risen so high that therewas a good deal of heat in his rays. 

So they set out on their return home. On the way back they walked aconsiderable distance through the fields and gardens. They went intothem from the path along the shore, through one of the open gates, andthey went back to the path again by another. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

SEEING MONT BLANC GO OUT. 

"Father, " said Rollo to Mr. Holiday, at dinner one day, "what are yougoing to do this evening?"

"We are going to see Mont Blanc go out, " said his father. 

Mr. Holiday answered Rollo in French, using a phrase very common inGeneva to denote the gradual fading away of the rosy light left uponMont Blanc by the setting sun; for the sun, just at the time of itssetting, gilds the mountain with a peculiar rosy light, as if it were acloud. This light gradually fades away as the sun goes down, until thelower part of the mountain becomes of a dead and ghostly white, whilethe roseate hue still lingers on the summit, as if the top of themountain were tipped with flame. These last beams finally disappear, andthen the whole expanse of snow assumes a deathlike and wintry whiteness. The inhabitants of Geneva, and those who live in the environs, often goout to their gardens and summer houses in the summer evenings, just asthe sun is going down, to see, as they express it, Mont Blanc go out;[E]and strangers who visit Geneva always desire, if they can, to witnessthe spectacle. There are, however, not a great many evenings in the yearwhen it can be witnessed to advantage, the mountain is so oftenenveloped in clouds. 

[Footnote E: The phrase is, in French, _Pour voir le Mont Blancs'eteindre_. ]

Rollo had heard the phrase before, and he knew very well what his fathermeant. 

"Well, " said he, in a tone of satisfaction; "and may I go too?"

"Yes, " said his father; "we should like to have you go very much. Butthere is a question to be decided--how we shall go. The best point ofview is somewhere on the shore along the lake, on the other side of thebridge. There are three ways of going. We can walk across the bridge, and then follow the road along the shore till we come to a good place, or we can take a carriage, and order the coachman to drive out any whereinto the neighborhood, where there is a good view of the mountain, or wecan go in a boat. "

"In a boat, father!" said Rollo, eagerly. "Let us go in a boat!"

"The objection to that, " said Mr. Holiday, "is, that it is more troubleto go and engage a boat. There are plenty of carriages here at the verydoor, and I can have one at a moment's notice, by just holding up myfinger. "

"And, father, " said Rollo, "so there are plenty of boats right down hereby the quay, and I can get one of them in a moment, just by holding upmy finger. "

"Well, " said Mr. Holiday, "we will go in a boat if you will take all thetrouble of engaging one. "

Rollo liked nothing better than this, and as soon as dinner was over hewent out upon the quay to engage a boat, while his father and motherwent up to their room to get ready to go. 

Rollo found plenty of boats at the landing. Some of them were verypretty. He chose one which seemed to have comfortable seats in it forhis father and mother. It was a boat, too, that had the American flagflying at the stern. Some of the boatmen get American flags, and raisethem on their boats, out of compliment to their numerous Americancustomers. 

Soon after Rollo had engaged the boat, his father and mother came, andthey all embarked on board. The boatman rowed them off from the shore. The sun was just going down. There were a great many boats plying to andfro about the lake, and the quays and the little islet were crowded withpeople. 

After rowing about a quarter of a mile, the boatman brought the range ofthe Alps into full view through an opening between the nearer hills. Thesun was shining full upon them, and illuminating them with a dazzlingwhite light, very beautiful, but without any rosy hue. 

"They don't look rosy at all, " said Rollo. 

"No, " said Mr. Holiday, "not now. They do not take the rosy hue till thesun has gone down. "

The boatman rowed on a little farther, so as to obtain a still betterview. Mr. And Mrs. Holiday watched the mountains; but Rollo was moreinterested in the scene immediately around him. He watched the boatsthat were plying to and fro over the surface of the lake, and thedifferent parties of ladies and gentlemen in them. He gazed on thequays, too, all around, and on the islet, which was not far off, and onthe people that he saw there, some walking to and fro, and othersleaning over the parapet and looking out upon the water. 

"Rollo, " said Mr. Holiday, "see if there is a rudder. "

"Yes, father, there is, " said Rollo. So saying, he climbed over theseats, between his father and mother, and took his place by the rudder. 

"Steer us, then, over to the opposite shore, wherever you see there is apleasant place to land. "

Rollo was glad and sorry both to receive this command. He was glad tohave the pleasure of steering, but he was sorry that his father intendedto land. He would have preferred remaining out upon the water. 

He, however, obeyed his father's command, and steered towards thefarther shore, turning the head of the boat in an oblique direction, alittle way up the lake. Presently Mr. Holiday saw some friends of his ina boat that was coming in the opposite direction. He ordered Rollo tosteer towards them. Rollo did so, and soon the boats came alongside. Theoarsmen of both boats stopped rowing, and the two parties in them cameto a parley. 

There was a little girl in the other boat, named Lucia. There was noother child in that boat, and so there was nobody for Lucia to playwith. Lucia therefore asked her father and mother to allow her to getover into Mr. Holiday's boat, so that she could have somebody to playwith. 

"Why, Lucia, " said her mother, "Rollo is a great boy. He is too big toplay with you. "

"I know it, " said Lucia; "but then he is better than nobody. "

Rollo might perhaps have been made to feel somewhat piqued at beingconsidered by a young lady as only better than nobody for a companion, had it not been for the nature of the objection, which was only that hewas too large. So he felt complimented rather than otherwise, and hecordially seconded Lucia's wish that she might be transferred to hisfather's boat, and at length her mother consented. Lucia steppedcarefully over the gunwales, and thus got into Mr. Holiday's boat. Sheimmediately passed along to the stern, and took her place by the side ofRollo at the rudder. The boats then separated from each other, and eachwent on its own way. 

"What is this handle, " said Lucia, "that you are taking hold of?"

"It is the tiller, " said Rollo. 

"And what is it for?" asked Lucia. 

"It is the handle of the rudder, " said Rollo. "The rudder is what westeer the boat by, and the tiller is the handle of it. The rudder itselfis down below the water. "

So Rollo let Lucia look over the end of the boat and see the rudder inthe water. 

Rollo then proceeded to explain the operation of the rudder. 

"You see, " said he, "that when I move the tiller over _this_ way, thenthe head of the boat turns the other way; and when I move it over _that_way, then the head of the boat comes round this way. The head of theboat always goes the contrary way. "

"I don't see why it should go the contrary way, " said Lucia. "I shouldthink it ought to go the same way. "

"No, " replied Rollo; "it goes the contrary way. And now I am going tosteer to a good place to land on the shore over there. "

So saying, Rollo pointed to the shore towards which the boat was going. 

The boat was now drawing near the shore. There was first a landing, where several small vessels were drawn up, and immense piles of wood ingreat wood yards. 

This wood had a very singular appearance. The bark was all off, and theends of the logs looked rounded and worn, as if they had been washed inthe water. The reason was, that the wood had grown on the sides of themountains, and had been brought down to the lake by the torrents whichpour down the mountain sides with great force in time of rain. 

"We won't land in the wood yards--will we?" said Rollo. 

"No, " said Lucia; "but _there's_ a pretty place to land, a littlefarther on. "

So saying, Lucia pointed to a very pretty part of the shore, a littlefarther on. There seemed to be a garden, and a little green lawn, withlarge trees overshadowing it; and at one place there was a projectingpoint where there was a summer house with a table in it, and a seatoutside, near the beach, under a bower. 

"Yes, " said Rollo; "that is a very pretty place; but it looks likeprivate ground. I think we must not land there. "

As the boat glided by this place, Rollo and Lucia saw some ladies andgentlemen sitting in the summer house. The gentlemen took off their hatsand bowed to Mr. And Mrs. Holiday as they passed by. 

Next the boat came to a place where there was a low parapet wall alongthe shore, and behind it were to be seen the heads of a number of menwho seemed to be sitting at tables, and drinking coffee or beer. 

"Here is a good place to land, " said Lucia. 

"No, " said Rollo; "this seems to be some sort of public place, full ofmen. We had better go a little farther. "

So Rollo steered on, keeping all the time at just a safe distance fromthe shore. The water was most beautifully transparent and clear, so thatall the pretty stones and pebbles on the bottom could be seen verydistinctly at a great depth. 

"What pretty water!" said Lucia. 

"Yes, " said Rollo, "it is so clear. "

"What makes it so clear?" asked Lucia. 

"Because the lake is so long, " said Rollo, "and this is the lower end ofit, and the water has time to settle. At the other end, where the watercomes in, it is not so clear. This is the end where the water runs out. "

A moment afterwards they came to a very pleasant landing, at a placewhere the road lay pretty near the water. Between the road and thewater, however, there was a space of green grass, with large treesovershadowing it, and several wooden settees, painted green, under thetrees. 

"Ah!" said Rollo, "here is just the place for us. 

"Father, " he added, "do you think it would be a good plan to land here?"

"Yes, " said his father; "we could not have had a better place. I thoughtyou would find a pleasant landing for us if I gave you the command. "

So Rollo brought the boat up to the shore, and they all got out. Mr. AndMrs. Holiday walked up and took their seats on one of the settees, whileRollo and Lucia began to run about and play along the parapet wall whichseparated the promenade from the water. 

Mr. And Mrs. Holiday watched the mountains. The sun had now just gonedown, though his beams still tipped the summits of the hills, and werereflected from the windows of the distant houses. The snow on themountains, too, began to assume a very beautiful rosy hue, whichincreased in brilliancy the farther the sun went down, and the more thelower lands became darkened. 

"How beautiful it is!" said Mrs. Holiday. 

"It is very beautiful indeed, " said her husband. 

"Rollo, " said Mrs. Holiday, "look at Mont Blanc. See how bright and rosyhe looks. "

"Yes, mother, " said Rollo; "and look out on the lake, and see the headsof those two boys swimming in the water. "

"Are those the heads of boys?" asked Mrs. Holiday. 

"Yes, mother, " said Rollo; "see how far they are swimming out. "

When Mrs. Holiday looked back at the mountain, she found, to her greatdisappointment, that the rosy color which had appeared so beautiful amoment before had now disappeared; and the whole snowy side of therange, up to the summits of the loftiest peaks, was of a cold, deadwhite, as if the rays of the sun had been entirely withdrawn. 

"Ah! look!" she said to Mr. Holiday, in a tone of disappointment; "MontBlanc has gone out while we have been looking another way. "

Mr. Holiday gazed intently at the mountain, and very soon he saw therosy tint beginning to appear again on one of the summits, morebrilliant than ever. 

"No, " said he, "the sun has not gone. I thought it could not have gonedown so soon. There must have been a cloud in the way. "

While Mr. Holiday had been speaking, the rekindling of the mountain hadgone on apace, and now the whole side of it was all in a glow. 

Just at this instant Rollo heard the sound of a gun. Lucia started andlooked alarmed. 

"What is that gun?" said Rollo; "and where was it? Let us look for thesmoke. "

So Rollo and Lucia, leaning over the parapet, began to look all aboutamong the boats and vessels of the lake, and along the opposite shore, in the direction from which the sound of the report had seemed to come, and very soon their eyes rested upon a volume of blue smoke which wasascending from the bows of a little vessel that had just come in, andwas floating off gracefully into the air. 

"It is that vessel that has just got in, " said Rollo. 

"Rollo, " said Mrs. Holiday, "look at the mountain. "

Rollo turned his eye for a moment towards the mountain. All the lowerpart of it was of a cold and deathlike whiteness, while the tip of thesummit was glowing as if it had been on fire. He was, however, too muchinterested in the smoke of the gun to look long at the mountain. 

"Hark!" said he to Lucia; "let us see if they will not fire again. "

They did not fire again; and just as Rollo began to give up expectingthat they would, his attention, as well as that of Lucia, was attractedto a little child who was playing with a small hammer in the gravel notfar from where they were standing. The mother of the child was sittingon a bench near by, knitting. The hammer was small, and the claw of itwas straight and flat. The child was using it for a hoe, to dig a holein the gravel. 

"Now, " said Rollo, "if I could find a shingle any where about here, Iwould make that child a shovel to dig with. "

Rollo looked about, but there was nothing like a shingle to be seen. 

In a few minutes his father called him. 

"Rollo, " said he, "we are going back. Mont Blanc has gone out. See!"

Rollo looked. He saw that the last lingering rays of the sun had gonefrom the summit of the mountain, though they still gilded a smallrounded cloud that floated just above it in the sky. 

"Yes, sir, " said Rollo. "I'll go and call the boat. "

"We are not going back in the boat, " said Mr. Holiday; "we haveconcluded to walk round by land, and over the bridge. It will be betterfor Lucia to go with us; but you may do as you please. You may walk withus, or go in the boat with the boatman. "

Rollo at first thought that he should prefer to go in the boat; but hefinally concluded to accompany his father and mother. So the whole partyreturned together by a pleasant road which led through a village by theshore. 

When they came out to the quay they heard a band of music playing. Theband was stationed on the little islet which has already been described. The party stopped on the bridge to listen; at least Mr. And Mrs. Holidaylistened, but Rollo and Lucia occupied themselves the while in lookingdown in the clear depths of the water, which was running so swiftly andso blue beneath the piers of the bridge, and watching to see if theycould see any fishes there. Lucia thought at one time that she saw one;but Rollo, on examining the spot, said it was only a little crevice ofthe rock wiggling. 

"What makes it wiggle?" asked Lucia. 

"The little waves and ripples of the current, " said Rollo. 

 * * * * *

When Rollo reached the hotel, a gentleman who met the party in the hallsaid to him, --

"Well, Rollo, have you been to see Mont Blanc go out?"

"Yes, sir, " said Rollo. 

"And how did you like it?" said the gentleman. 

"I liked it very much indeed, " said Rollo. "I think it was sublime. "

CHAPTER IX. 

A LAW QUESTION. 

"Now, father, " said Rollo, one evening, as he was sitting at the windowwith his father and mother, looking out upon the blue waters of theRhone, that were shooting so swiftly under the bridges beneath thewindows of the hotel, "you promised me that you would take as long asail on the lake with me as I wished. "

"Well, " said his father, "I acknowledge the promise, and am ready toperform it. "

"When?" asked Rollo. 

"At any time, " said his father. 

"Then, father, let us go to-morrow, " said Rollo. "We can't go to-night, for I am going so far that it will take all day. I am going to thefarther end of the lake. "

"Very well, " said his father; "I said I would take as long a sail as youwished. "

"And I will go this evening and engage a sail boat, " said Rollo, "so asto have it all ready. "

There was always quite a little fleet of sail boats and row boats ofall kinds lying near the principal landing at the quay, ready forexcursions. Rollo's plan was to engage one of these. 

"No, " said his father; "we will not take a sail boat; we will take asteamboat. "

Besides the sail boats and row boats, there were a number of large andhandsome steamboats plying on the lake. There were two or three thatleft in the morning, between seven and eight o'clock, and then therewere one or two at noon also. Those that left in the morning had time togo to the farther end of the lake and return the same day; while thosethat left at noon came back the next morning. Thus, to see the lake, youcould go in the forenoon of one day, and come back in the afternoon ofthe same, or you could go in the afternoon of one day, and come back inthe morning of the next. 

"Which would you do?" said Mr. Holiday to Rollo. 

"But, father, " said Rollo, "I think it would be pleasanter to go in asail boat. Besides, you said that you would take me to a sail; and goingin a steamboat is not sailing. "

"What is it doing?" said Mr. Holiday. 

"Steaming, " said Rollo. "A steamer does not sail in any sense. "

Mr. Holiday smiled and then paused. He was reflecting, apparently, uponwhat Rollo had been saying. 

"Then, besides, " said Rollo, "don't you think, father, it would bepleasanter to go in a sail boat?"

"The first question is, " said Mr. Holiday, "whether I am bound by mypromise to go with you in a sail boat, if you prefer it. I said I wouldtake you to a sail. Would taking you in a steamboat be a fulfilment ofthat promise? Suppose we refer the question to an umpire, and see how hewill decide it. "

"Yes; but, father, " said Rollo, "if you think it is best to go in thesteamer, I should not insist upon the sail boat, by any means; so it isnot necessary to leave it to any umpire. I will give it up. "

"I know you would be willing to give it up, " said Mr. Holiday; "but thenwe may as well first ascertain how the case actually stands. Let usfirst determine what the promise binds me to. If it does not bind me togo in a sail boat, then it is all right; there will be no need of anygiving up. If, on the other hand, my promise does bind me to go in asail boat, then you will consider whether you will release me from it ornot, if I ask it. Besides, it will amuse us to have the questionregularly decided; and it will also be a good lesson for you, inteaching you to think and speak with precision when you make promises, and to draw exact lines in respect to the performance of them. "

"Well, sir, " said Rollo; "who shall be the umpire?"

"Mr. Hall, " said his father. "He is down in the dining room now, takingtea. "

Mr. Hall was a lawyer, an acquaintance of Mr. Holiday's, whom he hadaccidentally met at Geneva. 

"He is a lawyer, " said Mr. Holiday, "and he will be a very good umpire. "

"Is it a law question?" asked Rollo. 

"Not exactly a law question, " said Mr. Holiday, "but all such questionsrequire for an umpire a man who is accustomed to think precisely. Thatis their very business. It is true that there are a great many other menbesides lawyers who think precisely; and there are some lawyers whothink and reason very loosely, and come to hasty and incorrectconclusions. Still, you are more likely to get a good opinion on such asubject from a lawyer than from other men taken at random. So, if youplease, you may go down and state the question to Mr. Hall, and I willabide by his decision. "

"Well, sir, " said Rollo, "I will. "

"Only, " said Mr. Holiday, "you must state the question fairly. Boysgenerally, when they go to state a question of this kind in which theyare interested, state it very unfairly. "

"How, for instance?" asked Rollo. 

"Why, suppose, " said Mr. Holiday, "that you were to go to Mr. Hall, andsay, 'Mr. Hall, father promised me that he would take me out on a sailupon the lake, as far as I wanted to go, and don't you think he ought todo it?'"

Rollo laughed heartily at this mode of putting the question. "Yes, " saidhe, "that sounds exactly like a boy. And what would be a fair way ofstating it?"

"A fair way would be, " said Mr. Holiday, "to present the simple questionitself, without any reference to your own interest in it, and withoutany indication whatever of your own wish or opinion in respect to thedecision of it; as, for example, thus: 'Mr. Hall, I have a question toask you. Suppose one person promises another that he will take him outto sail on the lake on a certain day; then, when the day comes, thepromiser proposes to go in the steamboat. Would that be a goodfulfilment of the promise, or not?'"

"Well, sir, " said Rollo, "I will state it so. "

So Rollo went down stairs into the dining room. There were variousparties there, seated at the different tables. Some were taking tea, some were looking at maps and guide books, and some discussing the planof their tours. One of the sofas had half a dozen knapsacks upon it, which belonged to a party of pedestrians that had just come in. 

Rollo looked about the room, and presently saw Mr. Hall, with his wifeand daughter, sitting at a table near a window. He went to him, andstated the question. 

The lawyer heard Rollo attentively to the end, and then, instead ofanswering at once, O, yes, or O, no, as Rollo had expected, he seemed tostop to consider. 

"That is quite a nice question, " said Mr. Hall. "Let us look at it. Thepoint is, whether an excursion in a steamboat is a _sail_, in the senseintended by the promise. "

"Yes, sir, " said Rollo; "that is the point exactly. I think it is not;father thinks it is. "

The instant that these words were out of Rollo's mouth he was sorry thathe had spoken them; for by speaking them he had furnished an indicationto the umpire of what his own opinion and his own interests were inrespect to the decision, which it never is fair to do in such a case, when the other party is not present to express _his_ views and advocatehis interests. The words once spoken, however, could not be recalled. 

"Steamboats are certainly not propelled by sails, " said the lawyer, "butyet we often apply the word _sailing_ to them. We say, for instance, that a certain steamer will sail on such or such a day. So we say, Therewas no news from such or such a place when the steamer sailed. "

"But it seems to me, " said Rollo, "that the question is not what peoplecall it, but what it really is. The going of a steamboat is certainlynot sailing, in any sense. "

It was quite ingenious arguing on Rollo's part, it must be acknowledged;but then it was wholly out of order for him to argue the question atall. He should have confined himself strictly to a simple statement ofthe point, since, as his father was not present to defend _his_ side ofthe question, it was obviously not fair that Rollo should urge andadvocate his. 

"It might, at first view, " said Mr. Hall, "seem to be as you say, andthat the question would be solely what the steamer actually does. But, on reflection, you will see that it is not exactly so. Contracts andpromises are made in language; and in making them, people use languageas other people use it, and it is to be interpreted in that way. Forinstance: suppose a lodging-house keeper in the country should agree tofurnish a lady a room in the summer where the sun did not come in atall, and then should give her one on the south side of the house, whichwas intolerably hot, and should claim that he had fulfilled hisagreement because the sun did not itself _come_ into the room at all, but only shone in; that would not be a good defence. We must interpretcontracts and promises according to the ordinary use and custom ofpeople in the employment of language. 

"Still, " said Mr. Hall, "although we certainly do apply the simple term_sailing_ to a steamer, I hardly think that a trip in a steamer on aregular and established route would be called, according to the ordinaryand established use of language, taking a sail. Was that thepromise--that one party would go with the other to _take a sail_ on thelake?"

"Yes, sir, " said Rollo; "he promised to go and take a sail with me onthe lake, as far as I wanted to go. "

"Then, " said Mr. Hall, "I should think, on the whole, that, in such aplace as this, where there are so many regular sail boats, and whereexcursions on the lake in them are so common and so well recognized as adistinct amusement, the phrase _taking a sail_ ought to be held to meangoing in a sail boat, and that making a voyage in a steamer would not befulfilling the promise. "

Rollo was extremely delighted in having thus gained his case, and hewent back to report the result to his father, in a state of greatexultation. 

After communicating to his father the decision of the umpire, Rollo saidthat, after all, he did not wish to go in a sail boat if his fatherthought it best to go in a steamer. 

"Well, " said Mr. Holiday, "that depends upon how far we go. It ispleasant enough to go out a short distance on the water in a sail boat, but for a long excursion the steamer is generally considered muchpleasanter. In a sail boat you are down very low, near the surface ofthe water, and so you have no commanding views. Then you have no sheltereither from the sun, if it is clear, or from the rain, if it is cloudy. You are closely confined, too, or at least you can move about only avery little; whereas in the steamer there is plenty of space, and thereare a great many groups of people, and little incidents are constantlyoccurring to amuse you. "

"Besides, " said Mrs. Holiday, "if you go in the steamer, I can go withyou. "

"Why, mother, could not you go in a sail boat too?"

"No, " said Mrs. Holiday; "I am afraid of sail boats. "

"O mother!" said Rollo; "there is not any danger at all. "

"Yes, Rollo, " said his father, "there is some danger, for sail boats dosometimes upset. "

"And steamboats sometimes blow up, " said Rollo. 

"True, " said his father; "but that only shows that there is danger insteamboats too--not that there is no danger in sail boats. "

"Well, what I mean, " said Rollo, "is, that there is very little danger, and that mother has no occasion to be afraid. "

"There is very little danger, I grant, " said Mr. Holiday; "but there isjust enough to keep ladies, who are less accustomed to the water than weare, almost all the time uneasy, and thus to destroy for them thepleasure of the excursion. 

"I'll tell you what I think will be the best plan. You and I will go outand take a little sail to-night on the lake in a sail boat, and mothermay stay and watch us from the window, as she reads and sews. Thento-morrow we will go together to make an excursion on the lake. "

Rollo liked this plan very much indeed, and his father sent him down tothe landing to engage the boat. "I will come down, " said Mr. Holiday, "by the time you get ready. "

So Rollo went down and engaged a boat. It was rigged, as all the boatson the Lake of Geneva are, with what are called lateen sails. Hisfather soon came down, and they immediately embarked on board the boat, and sailed away from the landing. As the boat moved away Rollo waved hishandkerchief to his mother whom he saw sitting on the balcony of thehotel, waving hers to him. 

[Illustration: GOING TO TAKE A SAIL. ]

Rollo and his father sailed about the lake for nearly an hour. Mr. Holiday said it was one of the pleasantest sails he ever had in hislife, and that he was very glad indeed that Mr. Hall decided againsthim. 

He gave Rollo's mother a full account of the excursion when he got home. 

"The water was very smooth, " said he, "and the air was cool and balmy. There was a gentle breath of wind, just enough to float us smoothly andquietly over the water. We had charming views of the town and of theshores of the lake, and also of the stupendous ranges of snow-coveredmountains beyond. "

CHAPTER X. 

AN EXCURSION ON THE LAKE. 

The Lake of Geneva is shaped, as has already been said, like the newmoon. One of the horns is towards the west; the other is towards thesouth. Geneva is at the tip of the western horn. 

Of course, in sailing from Geneva to the other end of the lake, we gofrom the west towards the east; and this renders it rather moreagreeable to make the excursion by an afternoon boat than by a morningone; for in the afternoon, the sun, being then in the western part ofthe sky, will be behind you, and so will not shine in your face; but, instead of shining in your face and dazzling your eyes, it will beshining upon and illuminating brilliantly the slopes of the mountainsthat you are going to see. In other words, in the morning the mountainsare in shadow and the sun in your eyes; in the evening your eyes areshaded, and the mountains glow with brilliancy and beauty. 

It is often very important to take notice thus of the manner in whichthe sun shines in different parts of the day, in planning excursionsamong the Alps. 

The middle of the day is a very exciting and animating time on the quayat Geneva. It is then that the boats which left the other end of thelake in the morning are expected to arrive; and a great concourse ofporters, guides, postilions, and bystanders of all sorts assemble toreceive the travellers. As the boats come in, it is very amusing to siton the balconies, or at the windows of the hotels which overlook thequay, and watch the procession of tourists as they come over the plankto land. There are family groups consisting of fathers, mothers, andchildren, followed by porters bearing immense trunks, while theythemselves are loaded with shawls, cloaks, umbrellas, and carpet bags;and parties of students, with all their travelling effects in knapsackson their backs; and schoolboys who have been making a tour of the Alpswith their teacher; and young brides, almost equally proud of theirhusbands, of the new dignity of their own position, and of the grandeurof an Alpine bridal tour. All these people, and the hundreds ofspectators that assemble to see them, fill the quay, and form a veryanimated and exciting spectacle. 

When the time approaches for a boat to sail, which is in half an hourafter she arrives, we have a counterpart of this scene, the direction ofthe current only being reversed. The tourists now go to the boat, theporters, with their baggage, preceding them. A soldier stands at theentrance to the plank, to look at the passports. Lines of officials oneach side guard the way. On the deck of the steamer, as soon as you geton board, you find a great variety of picturesque looking groups, all, however, having the air of being travellers for pleasure. Some arearranging themselves in good seats for seeing the scenery. Others takeout their maps and guide books, and prepare to read the descriptions ofthe places that they are going to see. Here and there children are to beseen--the boys with little knapsacks, and the girls wearing verybroad-brimmed Swiss hats--neither paying any attention to the scenery, but amusing themselves with whatever they find at hand to play with--onewith a little dog, another with a doll which has been bought for her atGeneva, and a third, perhaps, with a whip, or a little wagon. 

Rollo took his seat by the side of his father and mother, in the midstof such a scene as this, on the day of their embarkation, and occupiedhimself sometimes by looking at the shores of the lake and the mountainsbeyond, and sometimes by watching the movements and actions of thevarious groups of tourists before him. In the mean time, the boat leftthe landing, and began to glide along rapidly on her way over thesurface of the water. 

The shores of the lake are very fertile and populous, and at every eightor ten miles, especially on the northern shore, you come to a largetown. The steamboats stop at these towns to take and leave passengers. They do not, in such cases, usually land at a pier, but the passengerscome and go in large boats, and meet the steamer at a little way fromthe shore. Rollo used to take great pleasure in going forward to thebows of the steamer, and watch these boats as they came out from theshore. If there were two of them, they would come out so far that thetrack of the steamer should lie between them, and then, when the steamerstopped her paddles, they would come up, one on one side and the otheron the other, and the passengers would come up on board by means of aflight of steps let down from the steamer, just abaft the paddle boxes. When the passengers had thus come up, the baggage would be passed uptoo; and then those passengers who wished to go ashore at that placewould go down the steps in the boats, and when all were embarked, theboats would cast off from the steamer, and the steamer would go on herway as before. The boats then would row slowly to the land, with thepassengers in them that were to stop at that place. 

The way of paying for one's passage on board these boats was verydifferent from that adopted in America. There was no colored waiter togo about the decks and saloons ringing a bell, and calling out, in aloud and authoritative voice, Passengers who haven't settled their farewill please call at the captain's office and settle. Instead of this, the clerk of the boat came himself, after each landing, to the newpassengers that had come on board at that landing, and, touching his hatto them, in the most polite manner, asked them to what place they wishedto go. He had a little slate in his hand, with the names of all thetowns where the steamer was to touch marked upon it. As the severalpassengers to whom he applied gave him the name of the place of theirdestination, he made a mark opposite to the name of the place on hisslate. When he had in this way applied to all the new comers, he went tothe office and provided himself with the proper number of tickets foreach place, and then went round again to distribute them. In goingaround thus a second time, to distribute the tickets, he took a cash boxwith him to make change. This cash box was slung before him by means ofa strap about the neck. 

"How much more polite and agreeable a mode this is of collecting thefares, " said Mrs. Holiday to her husband, "than ours in America! There aboy comes around, dinging a bell in every body's ears, and then thegentlemen have to go in a crowd and elbow their way up to the window ofthe captain's office. I wish we could have some of these polite andagreeable customs introduced into our country. "

"They are very agreeable, " said Mr. Holiday, "and are very suitable forpleasure travel like this, where the boats are small, and the number ofpassengers few; but I presume it would be very difficult to collect thefares in this way on a North River steamer, where there are sometimes athousand passengers on board. Here there are usually not more than eightor ten passengers that come on board at a time, and they mix with onlyfifty or sixty that were on board before. But in America we often havefifty or sixty come on board at a time, and they mix with eight hundredor a thousand. In such a case as that I think that this plan would bewell nigh impracticable. "

"I did not think of that, " said Mrs. Holiday. 

"The difference between the circumstances of the case in Europe and inAmerica is very often not thought of by travellers who find themselveswishing that the European customs in respect to travelling and thehotels could be introduced into our country. In Europe the number oftravellers is comparatively small, and a very large proportion of thosewho make journeys go for pleasure. The arrangements can all, consequently, be made to save them trouble, and to make the journeyagreeable to them; and the price is increased accordingly. In America, people travel on business, and they go in immense numbers. Their mainobject is, to be taken safely and expeditiously to the end of theirjourney, and at as little expense as possible. The arrangements of theconveyances and of the hotels are all made accordingly. The consequenceis, a vast difference in the expense of travelling, and a correspondingdifference, of course, to some extent, in ease and comfort. The price ofpassage, for instance, in the Geneva steamboats, from one end of thelake to the other, a distance of about fifty miles, is two dollars, without berth or meals; whereas you can go from New York to Albany, which is more than three times as far, for half a dollar. Thisdifference is owing to the number of travellers that go in the Americanboats, and the wholesale character, so to speak, of the arrangementsmade for them. 

"In other words, the passengers in a public conveyance in Europe are notonly conveyed from place to place, but they are waited upon by the way, and they have to pay both for the conveyance and the attendance. InAmerica they are only conveyed, and are left to wait upon themselves;and they are charged accordingly. Each plan is good, and each is adaptedto the wants and ideas of the countries that respectively adopt them. 

"Shall we go to the end of the lake to-day?" said Mr. Holiday, "or onlypart of the way? The clerk will come pretty soon to ask us. "

"Are there any pretty places to stop at on the way?" asked Mrs. Holiday. 

"Yes, " said her husband; "all the places are pretty. "

"Tell us about some of them, " said Rollo. 

"First there is Lausanne, " said his father. "Lausanne is a large town upamong the hills, a mile or two from the water. There is a little port, called Ouchy, on the shore, where the steamer stops. There there is alanding and a pier, and some pretty boarding houses, with gardens andgrounds around them, and a large, old-fashioned inn, built like a castleof the middle ages, but kept very nicely. We can stop there, and go upin an omnibus to Lausanne, which is a large, old town, two miles up theside of the mountain. 

"Then, secondly, " continued Mr. Holiday, "there is Vevay, which isfamous for a new and fashionable hotel facing the lake, with a beautifulterrace between it and the water, where you can sit on nice benchesunder the trees, and watch the steamers going by over the blue waters ofthe lake, or the row boats and sail boats coming and going about theterrace landing, or the fleecy clouds floating along the sides of thedark mountains around the head of the lake. "

"I should like to stop at both places, " said Mrs. Holiday. 

"Then we will stop at Ouchy to-night, " said Mr. Holiday, "for that comesfirst. "

So it was decided that they should take tickets for Ouchy. 

The boat at Ouchy did not land passengers by boats, but went up to thepier. Only a few passengers went ashore. The pier was at some littledistance from the hotel, the way to it being by a quiet and pleasantwalk along the shore. 

There was an omnibus marked Lausanne standing at the head of the pier. 

"Now, we can get into the omnibus, " said Mr. Holiday, "and go directlyup to Lausanne, or we can go to the hotel here, and take lodgings, andthen go up to Lausanne to see the town after dinner. "

It was at this time about four o'clock. The usual time of dinner fortravellers in Switzerland is five. 

Mrs. Holiday, observing that the hotel at Ouchy was very prettilysituated, close to the water, and recollecting that her husband had saidthat it resembled in its character a castle of the middle ages, concluded that she would like as well to take rooms there. 

A woman with a queer-shaped basket on her back, which she carried bymeans of straps over her shoulders, here came up to Mr. Holiday, andasked if she should take _the baggages_ to the inn. Mr. Holiday saidyes. So she put the valise and the carpet bag into her basket, andwalked away with them to the inn. 

Women often act as porters in France and Switzerland, and they perform, also, all sorts of out-door work. They use these baskets, too, veryoften, for carrying burdens. Rollo afterwards saw a woman take her childout to ride in one of them. 

Mrs. Holiday was extremely pleased with the inn at Ouchy. She said thatshe should like to remain there a week. It seemed precisely, with itsantique-looking rooms, and long stone paved corridors, like the castleswhich she had read about when she was a girl in the old romances. 

After dinner, Mr. Holiday sent for a carriage, and took Mrs. Holiday andRollo to ride. They went up the ascent of land behind the town, the roadwinding as it went among green and beautiful glades and dells, but stillalways ascending until they came to Lausanne. This was nearly two milesfrom the lake, and very much above it. From Lausanne they went backstill farther, ascending all the time, and obtaining more and morecommanding views of the lake at every turn. 

When the sun went down, they turned their faces homeward. They camedown, of course, very fast, the road winding continually this way andthat, to make the descent more gradual. At length, about half pasteight, they returned to the inn. 

The landlady of the inn, who was very kind and obliging to them, tookthem to see a room in her hotel where Lord Byron wrote his celebratedpoem entitled the PRISONER OF CHILLON. Chillon is an ancient castlewhich stands on the shore, twenty or thirty miles beyond, and very near, in fact, to the extremity of the lake. Byron has made this castlerenowned throughout the world by spending a few days, while he wasstopped at this inn at Ouchy by a storm, when travelling on the lake, inwriting a poem in which he describes the emotions and sufferings ofsome imaginary prisoners whom he supposed to be confined there. 

"Can we go to see the Castle of Chillon?" said Mrs. Holiday. 

"Yes, " said Mr. Holiday. "We shall sail directly by it in going to thehead of the lake, and if we stop there we can go to it very easily. "

The head of the lake--that is, the eastern end of it--is surrounded withmountains, the slopes of which seem to rise very abruptly from thewater, and ascend to such a height that patches of snow lie on thesummits of them all the summer. These mountains, especially ifovershadowed by clouds, give a very dark and sombre expression to thewhole region when seen from a distance, in coming in from the centre ofthe lake. This sombre expression, however, entirely disappears when youarrive at the head of the lake, and land there. 

You would not suppose, when viewing these shores from a distance, thatthere was any place to land, so closely do the precipitous slopes of themountains seem to shut the water in. But on drawing near the shore, yousee that there is a pretty broad belt of land along the shore, which, though it ascends rapidly, is not too steep to be cultivated. This beltof land is covered with villages, hamlets, vineyards, orchards, andgardens, and it forms a most enchanting series of landscapes, fromwhatever point it is seen, while the more precipitous slopes of themountains, towering above in grandeur and sublimity, complete theenchantment of the view. 

The Castle of Chillon stands on the very margin of the lake, just in theedge of the water. Indeed, the foundations on which it stands form alittle island, which is separated by a narrow channel from the shore. This channel is crossed by a drawbridge. It is possible, however, thatit may be in some measure artificial. The island may have originallybeen a small rocky point, and it may have been made an island by thecutting of a ditch between it and the main land. 

The steamer passed along the shore, very near to this castle, in goingto the head of the lake, as you see represented in the engraving. [F]There is no steamboat landing at the castle itself, but there is one atthe village of Montreux, a little before you come to it, and another atVilleneuve, a little beyond. Numbers of tourists come in every steamerto visit the castle, and stop for this purpose at one of these landingsor the other. The distance is only twenty minutes' brisk walking fromeither of them. 

[Footnote F: See Frontispiece. ]

Villeneuve, the last landing mentioned above, is at the very extremityof the lake. We see it in the distance in the engraving. Here travellerswho are going to continue their journey up the valley of the Rhone, either for the purpose of penetrating into the heart of Switzerland, orof going by the pass of the Simplon into Italy, leave the boat and takethe diligence to continue their journey by land, or else engage aprivate carriage, and also a guide, if they wish for one. Mr. Holidaydid not intend at this time to go on far up the valley, but he purposedto stop a day or two at Villeneuve, to visit Chillon, and perhaps makesome other excursions, and also to enjoy the views presented there, onall sides, of the slopes and summits of the surrounding mountains. 

CHAPTER XI. 

VILLENEUVE. 

At Villeneuve, a pretty long, though small and very neatly made pierprojects out from the shore, for the landing of passengers from thesteamer. 

Exactly opposite this pier, and facing the water, stands the inn. It isplaced very nearly on a level with the water. This can always be thecase with buildings standing on the margin of a lake, for a lake notbeing subject to tides or inundations, all buildings, whether houses, bridges, or piers, may be built very near the water, without any dangerof being overflowed. 

Before the inn is an open space, extending between it and the shore; sothat from the front windows of the inn you can look down first upon thisopen space, and beyond, upon the margin of the lake and upon the pier, with the steamer lying at the landing-place at the head of it. 

The sides of this square, Rollo observed, were formed of the ends of twobuildings which stood on the shore, and along this space were woodenbenches, which were filled, when the steamer arrived, with guides, postilions, voituriers, and other people of that class, waiting to beengaged by the travellers that should come in her. 

There were also two or three omnibuses and diligences waiting to receivesuch persons as were intending to travel by the public conveyances. Oneof these omnibuses belonged to a large hotel and boarding house whichstands on the shore of the lake, not far from Villeneuve, between it andthe Castle of Chillon. You can see this hotel in the engraving. It isthe large building in the middle distance, standing back a little fromthe lake, and to the left of the castle. This hotel is beautifullysituated in a commanding position on the shores of the lake, and is agreat place of resort for English families in the summer season. 

The travellers that landed from the steamer at Villeneuve soonseparated, after arriving at the open square before the inn. Some tooktheir seats in the diligences that were standing there; some got intothe omnibuses to go to the hotel; some engaged voituriers from among thenumber that were waiting there to be so employed, and, entering thecarriages, they drove away; while a party of students, with knapsacks ontheir backs and pikestaves in their hands, set off on foot up thevalley. Mr. Holiday and his party, not intending to proceed any fartherthat night, went directly to the inn. 

They went first into the dining room. The dining room in the Swiss innsis usually the only public room, and travellers on entering the inngenerally go directly there. 

The dining room was very plain and simple in all its arrangements. Therewas no carpet on the floor, and the woodwork was unpainted. There weretwo windows in front, which looked out upon the lake. Directly beneaththe windows was the road, and the open space, already described, betweenthe hotel and the pier. 

There was a boy with a knapsack on his back standing by the window, looking out. Rollo went to the window, and began to look out too. 

"Do you speak English?" said Rollo to the boy. 

"_Nein_, " said the boy, shaking his head. 

_Nein_ is the German word for _no_. This Rollo knew very well, and so heinferred that the boy was a German. He, however, thought it possiblethat he might speak French, and so he asked again, --

"Do you speak French?"

"Very little, " said the boy, answering now in the French language. "I amstudying it at school. I am at school at Berne, and my class is makingan excursion to Geneva. "

"Do you travel on foot?" asked Rollo. 

"Yes, " said the boy; "unless there is a steamboat, and then we go in thesteamboat. "

"And I suppose you are going to take the steamboat here to-morrowmorning to go to Geneva. "

"No, " said the boy; "we are going to see Chillon to-night, and then weare going along the shore of the lake beyond, to Montreux, and take theboat there to-morrow morning. "

It was quite amusing to Rollo to talk thus with a strange boy in alanguage which both had learned at school, and which neither of themcould speak well, but which was, nevertheless, the only language theyhad in common. 

"How many boys are there in your class?" asked Rollo. 

"Sixteen, " said the boy; "sixteen--six. " The boy then held up the fivefingers of one hand, and one of the other, to show to Rollo that six wasthe number he meant. The words six and sixteen are very similar in theFrench language, and for a moment the boy confounded them. 

"And the teacher too, I suppose, " said Rollo. 

"Yes, " said the boy, "and the teacher. "

Here there was a short pause. 

"Are you going to Chillon?" said the boy to Rollo. 

"Yes, " said Rollo. "I am going with my father and mother. "

"I wish you were going with us, " said the boy. 

"I wish so too, " said Rollo; "I mean to ask my father to let me. "

During this time Mr. Holiday had been making an arrangement with themaid of the inn for two bedrooms, one for himself and his wife, and theother for Rollo; and the maid was now just going to show the party theway to their rooms. So Rollo went with his father, and after seeing thatall their effects were put in the rooms, he informed his father that hehad made acquaintance with a young German schoolboy who was going withhis class and the teacher to visit Chillon; and he asked his father'sconsent that he might go with them. 

"I can walk there with them, " said Rollo, "and wait there till you andmother come. "

"Does the boy speak English?" asked Mr. Holiday. 

"No, sir, " said Rollo; "but he can speak French a little. He speaks itjust about as well as I can, and we can get along together very well. "

"Is the teacher willing that you should go?" asked Mr. Holiday. 

"I don't know, " said Rollo; "we have not asked him yet. "

"Then the first thing is to ask him, " said Mr. Holiday. "Let your friendask the teacher if he is willing to have another boy invited to go withhis party; and if he is willing, you may go. If you get to Chillonfirst, you may go about the castle with the boys, and then wait at thecastle gates till we come. "

"How soon shall you come?" asked Rollo. 

"Very soon, " said Mr. Holiday. "I have ordered the carriage already, andwe shall perhaps get there as soon as you do. "

So Rollo went down stairs again to his friend, the German boy. 

"Do you think, " said Rollo, "that the teacher would be willing to haveme go with you?"

"Yes, " said the boy, "I am sure he will. He is always very glad to haveus meet with an opportunity to speak French. Besides, there are someboys in the school who are learning English, and he would like to haveyou talk a little with them. "

"Go and ask him, " said Rollo. 

So the boy went off to ask the teacher. He met him on the stairs, comingdown with the rest of the boys. The teacher was very much pleased withthe plan of having an American boy invited to join the party, and so itwas settled that Rollo was to go. 

The boys all went down stairs, and rendezvoused at the door of the inn. Most of the omnibuses and diligences had gone. The boys of the schoolall accosted Rollo in a very cordial manner; and the teacher shook handswith him, and said that he was very glad to have him join their party. The teacher spoke to him in French. There were two other boys who triedto speak to him in English. They succeeded pretty well, but they couldnot speak very fluently, and they made several mistakes. But Rollo wasvery careful not to laugh at their mistakes, and they did not laugh atthose which he made in talking French; and so they all got along verywell together. 

Thus they set out on the road which led along the shore of the laketowards the Castle of Chillon. 

CHAPTER XII. 

THE CASTLE OF CHILLON. 

The party of boys walked along the road very pleasantly together, eachone with his knapsack on his back and his pikestaff in his hand. Rollotalked with them by the way--with some in English, and with others inFrench; but inasmuch as it happened that whichever language was used, one or the other of the parties to the conversation was very imperfectlyacquainted with it, the conversation was necessarily carried on by meansof very short and simple sentences, and the meaning was often helped outby signs, and gestures, and curious pantomime of all sorts, with anaccompaniment, of course, of continual peals of laughter. 

Rollo, however, learned a good deal about the boys, and about thearrangements they made for travelling, and also learned a great manyparticulars in respect to the adventures they had met with in comingover the mountains. 

Rollo learned, for example, that every boy had a fishing line in hisknapsack, and that when they got tired of walking, and wished to stop torest, if there was a good place, they stopped and fished a little whilein a mountain stream or a lake. 

Another thing they did was to watch for butterflies, in order to catchany new species that they might find, to add to the teacher's cabinet ofnatural history. For this purpose one of the boys had a gauze net on theend of a long but light handle; and when a butterfly came in sight thatseemed at all curious or new, one of the boys set off with the rest tocatch him. If the specimen was found valuable, it was preserved. Thespecimens thus kept were secured with a pin in the bottom of a broad, but flat and very light box, which one of the older boys carried withhis knapsack. The boy opened this box, and showed Rollo the butterflieswhich they had taken. They had quite a pretty collection. There wereseveral that Rollo did not recollect ever to have seen before. 

Talking in this way, they went on till they came to the part of the roadwhich was opposite to the Hotel Byron. The hotel was on an eminenceabove the road, and back from the lake. Broad gravelled avenues led upto it. There were also winding walks, and seats under the trees, andterraces, and gardens, and parties of ladies and gentlemen walkingabout, and children playing here and there, under the charge of theirnurses. 

The boys gave only a passing glance at these things as they went by. They were much more interested in gazing up from time to time at thestupendous cliffs and precipices which they saw crowning the mountainranges which seemed to border the road; and on the other side, inlooking out far over the water of the lake at the sail boats, or thesteamer, or the little row boats which they beheld in the offing. 

The road went winding on, following the little indentations of theshore, till at length it reached the castle. It passed close under thecastle walls, or, rather, close along the margin of the ditch whichseparated the foundations of the castle from the main land. There was abridge across this ditch. This bridge was enclosed, and a little roomwas built upon it, with windows and a door. The outer door was, ofcourse, towards the road, and it was open when the boys arrived at theplace. 

The teacher led the way in by this door, and the boys followed him. There was a man there, dressed in the uniform of a soldier. He was asort of sentinel, to keep the door of the castle. He had a table on oneside, with various engravings spread out upon it, representingdifferent views of the castle, both of the interior and of the exterior. There were also little books of description, giving an account of thecastle and of its history, and copies of Byron's poem, the Prisoner ofChillon. All these things were for sale to the visitors who should cometo see the castle. 

The engravings were kept from being blown away by the wind by means oflittle stone paper weights made of rounded pebble stones, about as largeas the palm of the hand, with views of the castle and of the surroundingscenery painted on them. The paper weights were for sale too. 

The boys looked at these things a moment, but did not seem to pay muchattention to them. They walked on, following their teacher, to the endof the bridge room, where they came to the great castle gates. Thesewere open, too, and they went in. They found themselves in a pavedcourtyard, with towers, and battlements, and lofty walls all aroundthem. There was a man there, waiting to receive them in charge, and showthem into the dungeons. 

He led the way through a door, and thence down a flight of stone stepsto a series of subterranean chambers, which were very dimly lighted bylittle windows opening towards the lake. The back sides of the roomsconsisted of the living rock; the front sides were formed of the castlewall that bordered the lake. 

"Here is the room, " said the guide, "where the prisoners who werecondemned to death in the castle in former times spent the last nightbefore their execution. That stone was the bed where they had to lie. "

So saying, the guide pointed to a broad, smooth, and sloping surface ofrock, which was formed by the ledge on the back side of the dungeon. Thestone was part of the solid ledge, and was surrounded with ragged crags, just as they had been left by the excavators in making the dungeon; butwhether the smooth and sloping surface of this particular portion of therock was natural or artificial, that is, whether it had been expresslymade so to form a bed for the poor condemned criminal, or whether therock had accidentally broken into that form by means of some naturalfissure, and so had been appropriated by the governor of the castle tothat use, the boys could not determine. 

The guide led the boys a little farther on, to a place where there was adark recess, and pointing up towards the ceiling, he said, --

"There is where the criminals were hung. Up where I point there is abeam built into the rock; and from that the rope was suspended. "

The boys all crowded round the spot, and looked eagerly up, but theycould not see any beam. 

"You cannot see it, " said the guide, "now, because you have just comeout from the light of day. We shall come back this way pretty soon, andthen you will be able to see it; for your eyes will then get accustomeda little to the darkness of the dungeon. "

So the guide went on, and the boys followed him. 

They next came into a very large apartment. The front side and the backside of it were both curved. The back side consisted of the living rock. The front side was formed of the outer castle wall, which was built onthe rock at the very margin of the water. In the centre was a range ofseven massive stone columns, placed there to support the arches on whichrested the floor of the principal story of the castle above. The roof ofthis dungeon of course was vaulted, the arches and groins being carriedover from this range of central pillars towards the wall in front, andtowards the solid rock behind. All this you will plainly see representedin the engraving. 

[Illustration: THE DUNGEON IN THE CASTLE OF CHILLON. ]

This great dungeon was lighted by means of very small loopholes cut inthe wall, high up from the floor. The light from these windows, instead of coming _down_, and shining upon the floor, seemed to go _up_, and to lose itself in a faint attempt to illuminate the vaulted roofabove. The reason was, that at the particular hour when the boys madetheir visit, the beams of the sun which shone directly from it in thesky were excluded, and only those that were reflected upward from thewaters of the lake could come in. 

The guide led the boys to one of the central pillars, and pointed to aniron ring which was built into the stone. He told them that there wasthe place where one prisoner was confined in the dungeon for six years. He was chained to that ring by a short chain, which enabled him only towalk to and fro a few steps each way about the pillar. These steps hadworn a place in the rock. 

After the boys had looked at this pillar, and at the iron ring, and atthe place worn in the floor by the footsteps of the prisoner, as long asthey wished, they followed the guide on to the end of the dungeon, wherethey were stopped by the solid rock. Here the guide brought them to adark and gloomy place in a corner, where, by standing a little back, they could see all the pillars in a row; and he said that if they wouldcount them they would find that there were exactly seven. The boys didso, and they found that there were seven; but they did not understandwhy the number was of any importance. But the teacher explained it tothem. He said that Byron had mentioned seven as the number of thepillars in his poem, and that most people who had read the poem werepleased to observe the correspondence between his description and thereality. 

The teacher quoted the lines. They were these:--

 "In Chillon's dungeons, deep and old, There are seven columns, massy and gray, Dim with a dull, imprisoned ray-- A sunbeam that hath lost its way, And through the crevice and the cleft Of the thick wall is fallen and left Creeping o'er the floor so damp, Like a marsh's meteor lamp. "

In repeating these lines, the teacher spoke in a strong foreign accent. All the boys listened attentively while he spoke, though of course onlyRollo and those of the boys who had studied English could understandhim. 

After this the boys came back through the whole range of dungeons, bythe same way that they had come in. They could now see the beam fromwhich the condemned criminals were hung. It passed across from rock torock, high above their heads, in a dark and gloomy place, and seemedperfectly black with age. 

When the party came out of the dungeons, a young woman took them incharge, to show them the apartments above. She conducted them up a broadflight of stone stairs to a massive doorway, which led to the principalstory of the castle. Here the boys passed through one after another ofseveral large halls, which were formerly used for various purposes whenthe castle was inhabited, but are employed now for the storage of brasscannons, and of ammunition belonging to the Swiss government. When thecastle was built, the country in which it stands belonged to aneighboring state, called Savoy; and it was the Duke of Savoy, who was asort of king, that built it, and it was he that confined the prisonersin it so cruelly. Many of them were confined there on account of beingaccused of conspiring against his government. At length, however, thewar broke out between Switzerland and Savoy, and the Swiss werevictorious. They besieged this castle by an army on the land and by afleet of galleys on the lake, and in due time they took it. They let allthe prisoners which they found confined there go free, and since thenthey have used the castle as a place of storage for arms and ammunition. 

One of the halls which the boys went into, the guide said, used to be asenate house, and another was the court room where the prisoners weretried. There was a staircase which led from the court room down to thedungeon below, where the great black beam was, from which they were tobe hung. 

The boys, however, did not pay a great deal of attention to what theguide said about the former uses of these rooms. They seemed to be muchmore interested in the purposes that they were now serving, and so wentabout examining very eagerly the great brass cannons and the ammunitionwagons that stood in them. 

At length, however, they came to something which specially attractedtheir attention. It was a small room, which the guide said was anancient torturing room. There was a large wooden post in the centre ofthe room, extending from the floor to the vault above. The post was wornand blackened by time and decay, and there were various hooks, andstaples, and pulleys attached to it at different heights, which theguide said were used for securing the prisoners to the post, when theywere to be tortured. The post itself was burned in many places, as if byhot irons. 

The boys saw another place in a room beyond, which was in some respectsstill more dreadful than this. It was a place where there was anopening in the floor, near the wall of the room, that looked like a trapdoor. There was the beginning of a stone stair leading down. A smallrailing was built round the opening, as if to keep people from fallingin. The boys all crowded round the railing, and looked down. 

They saw that the stair only went down three steps, and then it came toa sudden end, and all below was a dark and dismal pit, which seemedbottomless. On looking more intently, however, they could at length seea glimmer of light, and hear the rippling of the waves of the lake, at agreat depth below. The guide said that this was one of the _oubliettes_, that is, a place where men could be destroyed secretly, and in such amanner that no one should ever know what became of them. They wereconducted to this door, and directed to go down. It was dark, so thatthey could only see the first steps of the stair. They would suppose, however, that the stair was continued, and that it would lead them downto some room, where they were to go. So they would walk on carefully, feeling for the steps of the stair; but after the third there would beno more, and they would fall down to a great depth on ragged rocks, andbe killed. To make it certain that they would be killed by the fall, there were sharp blades, like the ends of scythes, fixed in the rock, far below, to cut them in pieces as they fell. 

It seems these tyrants, hateful and merciless as they were, did notwish, or perhaps did not dare, to destroy the souls as well as thebodies of their victims, and so they contrived it that the last actwhich the poor wretch should perform before going down into thisdreadful pit should be an act of devotion. To this end there was made alittle niche in the wall, just over the trap door, and there was placedthere an image of the Virgin Mary, who is worshipped in Catholiccountries as divine. The prisoner was invited to kiss this image as hepassed by, just as he began to descend the stair. Thus the very lastmoment of his life would be spent in performing an act of devotion, andthus, as they supposed, his soul would be saved. What a strangecombination is this of superstition and tyranny!

After seeing all these things, the boys returned towards the entrance ofthe castle. They met several parties of ladies and gentlemen coming in;and just as they got to the door again, the carriage containing Mr. AndMrs. Holiday drove up. So Rollo bade the teacher and all the boys goodby, after accompanying them a few minutes, as they walked along the roadtowards the place where they were to go. By this time his father andmother had descended from their carriage, and were ready to go in. SoRollo joined them, and went through the castle again, and saw all theplaces a second time. 

When they came out, and were getting into the carriage, Mr. Holiday saidthat it was a very interesting place. 

"Yes, " said Mrs. Holiday; "and we have seen all that Byron speaks of inhis poem, except the little island. Where is the little island?"

Mr. Holiday pointed out over the water of the lake, where a group ofthree tall trees seemed to be growing directly out of the water, onlythat there was a little wall around them below. They looked like threeflowers growing in a flower pot set in the water. 

"Yes, " said Mrs. Holiday, "that must certainly be it. It correspondsexactly. " So she repeated the following lines from Byron's poem, whichdescribes the island in the language of one of the prisoners, who saw itfrom his dungeon window, "And then there was a little isle, Which in my very face did smile-- The only one in view; A small green isle, it seemed no more, Scarce broader than my dungeon floor; But in it there were three tall trees, And o'er it blew the mountain breeze, And by it there were waters flowing, And on it there were young flowers growing, Of gentle breath and hue. "

"That's pretty poetry, " said Rollo. 

"Very pretty indeed, " said his father. 

The horse now began to trot along the road. The little island continuedin view for a while, and then disappeared, and afterwards came into viewagain, as the road went turning and winding around, following theindentations of the shore. 

At length, after a short but very pleasant ride, the party arrivedsafely at the inn again at Villeneuve. 

CHAPTER XIII. 

PLAN FORMED. 

The reason why the Lake of Geneva is of a crescent form is, that that isthe shape of the space in the bottom of the valley which it fills. Thereare two ranges of mountains running in a curved direction almostparallel to each other, and the space between them, for a certaindistance, is filled with water, owing to the spreading out of the watersof the Rhone in flowing through. Thus the lake is produced by thevalley, and takes its form from it. 

The valley does not come to an end when you reach the head of the lake, but continues for more than a hundred miles beyond, the two mountainranges continuing to border it all that distance, and the River Rhone toflow through the centre of it. Thus at Villeneuve you look in onedirection, and you have a winding valley filled with water, extendingfor fifty miles, to Geneva; while in the other direction, the samevalley--though now the floor of it is a green and fertileplain--continues, with the same stupendous walls of mountain borderingthe sides of it, for a hundred miles or more, to the sources of theRhone. 

There is another thing that is very curious in respect to this valley, and that is, that the floor of it is as flat, and smooth, and level, almost, where it is formed of land, as where it is formed of water. 

Geologists suppose that the reason why the bottom of the valley, when itconsists of land, is so perfectly level, is because the land has beenformed by deposits from the river, in the course of a long succession ofages. Of course the river could never build the land any higher, in anypart, than it rises itself in the highest inundations. Indeed, landformed by river deposits is almost always nearly level, and the surfaceof it is but little raised above the ordinary level of the stream, andnever above that of the highest inundations. 

It must, however, by no means be supposed that because the surface ofthe valley above the head of the lake is flat and level, that it is onthat account monotonous and uninteresting. Indeed, it is quite thereverse. It forms one of the richest and most enchanting landscapes thatcan be conceived. It is abundantly shaded with trees, some planted inavenues along the roadside, some bearing fruit in orchards and gardens, and some standing in picturesque groups about the houses, or in prettygroves by the margin of the fields. The land is laid out in a verycharming manner, in gardens, orchards, meadows, and fields of corn andgrain, with no fences to separate them either from each other or fromthe road; so that in walking along the public highway you seem to walkin one of the broad alleys of an immense and most beautiful garden. 

Besides all these beauties of the scene itself, the pleasure of walkingthrough it is greatly increased by the number and variety of groups andfigures of peasant girls and boys, and women and men, that you meetcoming along the road, or see working in the fields, all dressed in thepretty Swiss costume, and each performing some curious operation, whichis either in itself, or in the manner of performing it, entirelydifferent from what is seen in any other land. 

Rollo followed the main road leading up the valley a little way oneevening, while his father and mother were at Villeneuve, in order, as hesaid, to see where the diligences went to. He was so much pleased withwhat he saw that he went back to the hotel, and began studying the guidebook, in order to find how far it was to the next town, and whatobjects of interest there were to be seen on the way. He was so wellsatisfied with the result of his investigations that he resolved topropose to his father and mother to make a pedestrian excursion up thevalley. 

"Now, mother, " said he, "I have a plan to propose, and that is, that weall set out to-morrow morning, and make a pedestrian excursion up thevalley, to the next town, or the next town but one. "

"How far is it?" asked Mrs. Holiday. 

"Why, the best place to go to, " said Rollo, "is Aigle, which is thesecond town, and that is only six miles from here. "

"O Rollo!" said Mrs. Holiday; "I could not possibly walk six miles. "

"O, yes, mother, " said Rollo. "The road is as smooth, and level, andhard as a floor. Besides, you said that you meant to make a pedestrianexcursion somewhere while you were in Switzerland, and there could notbe a better place than this. "

"I know I said so, " replied Mrs. Holiday, "but I was not really inearnest. Besides, I don't think I could possibly walk six miles. But wewill take a carriage and ride there, if your father is willing. "

"But, mother, it is not so pleasant to ride You can't see so well, forthe top of the carriage, or else the driver on his high seat before, will be more or less in the way. Then when you are walking you can stopso easily any minute, and look around. But if you are in a carriage, itmakes a fuss and trouble to be calling continually upon the coachman tostop; and then, besides, half of the time, before he gets the carriagestopped you have got by the place you wanted to see. "

What Rollo said is very true. We can see a country containing a seriesof fine landscapes much more thoroughly by walking through it, or ridingon horseback, than by going in a carriage. I do not think, however, that, after all, this advantage constituted the real inducement inRollo's mind which made him so desirous of walking to Aigle. The truthwas, that the little walk which he had taken to Chillon with the partyof pedestrian boys had quite filled his imagination with the pleasuresand the independent dignity of this mode of travelling, and he was veryambitious of making an experiment of it himself. 

"And, mother, " continued Rollo, "after all, it is only about two hoursand a half or three hours, at two or three miles an hour. Now, you areoften gone as much as that, making calls; and when you are making callsyou generally go, I am sure, as much as two or three miles an hour. "

"But I generally ride, making calls, " said Mrs. Holiday. 

"Yes, mother, but sometimes you walk; and I think when you walk you areoften gone more than three hours. "

"That is true, " said Mrs. Holiday, "I admit; but then, you know, when Iam making calls I am resting a great deal of the time at the houseswhere I call. "

"I know that, " said Rollo; "and so we will rest, sitting down by theroad side. "

Mrs. Holiday admitted that Rollo had rather the best of the argument;but she was still quite unwilling to believe that she could really walksix miles. 

"And back again, too, " she added. "You must consider that we shall haveto come back again. "

"Ah, but I don't wish to have you walk back again, " said Rollo. "We willcome back by the diligence. There are several diligences and omnibusesthat come by Aigle, on the way here, in the course of the day. "

Mrs. Holiday was still undecided. She was very desirous of gratifyingRollo, but yet she had not courage to undertake quite so great a featas to walk six miles. At length Mr. Holiday proposed that they should atleast set out and go a little way. 

"We can try it for half an hour, " said he, "and then go on or turn back, just as we feel inclined. Or if we go on several miles, and then gettired, we shall soon come to a village, where we shall be able to getsome sort of vehicle or other to bring us back; and at all events weshall have an adventure. "

Mrs. Holiday consented to this plan, and it was settled that the partyshould breakfast at eight o'clock the next morning, and set outimmediately afterwards. 

Rollo had a sort of haversack which he used to carry sometimes on hiswalks, and he always kept it with him in the steamboat or carriage, whenhe travelled in those conveyances. This haversack he got ready, supplying it with all that he thought would be required for theexcursion. He put in it his drinking cup, --the one which he had boughtin Scotland, --a little spy glass, which he used for viewing the scenery, a book that his mother was reading, a little portfolio containing somedrawing paper and a pencil, a guide book and map, and, lastly, a paperof small cakes and sugar plums, to give to any children that he mightchance to meet on the way. 

Rollo made all these preparations the evening before, so that everything might be ready in the morning, when the hour for setting outshould arrive. 

CHAPTER XIV. 

WALK TO AIGLE. 

"Now, Rollo, " said Mr. Holiday, as the party sallied forth from the innto commence their walk up the valley, "we depend entirely on you. Thisis your excursion, and we expect you will take care and see that everything goes right. "

"Well, sir, " said Rollo. "Come with me. I'll show you the way. "

On the borders of the village they passed to a high stone bridge whichcrossed a small stream. This stream came in a slow and meandering coursethrough the meadows, and here emptied into the lake. Farther back it wasa torrent leaping from rock to rock and crag to crag, for many thousandfeet down the mountain side; but here it flowed so gently, and lay soquietly in its bed, that pond lilies grew and bloomed in its waters. 

Just above the bridge there was a square enclosure in the margin of thewater, with a solid stone wall all around it. A man stood on the wallwith a net in his hand. The net was attached to a pole. The man was justdipping the net into the water when Rollo, with his father and mother, came upon the bridge. 

"Let us stop a minute, and see what that man is going to do, " saidRollo. "I saw that square wall yesterday, and I could not imagine whatit was for. "

The man put his net down to the bottom of the reservoir, and afterdrawing it along on the bottom, he took it out again. There was nothingin it. He then repeated the operation, and this time he brought up twolarge fishes that looked like trout. They were both more than a footlong. 

The man uttered a slight exclamation of satisfaction, and then liftingthe net over the wall, he let the fish fall into a basket which he hadplaced outside. He then went away, carrying the basket with one hand, and the net on his shoulder with the other. 

"That's a very curious plan, " said Rollo. "I suppose they catch the fishin the lake, and then put them in that pen and keep them there till theyare ready to eat them. "

So they walked on. 

Presently Rollo saw some of the pond lilies growing in the stream, thecourse of which was here, for a short distance, near the road. 

"I wish very much, mother, " said he, "that I could get one of those pondlilies for you, but I cannot. I tried yesterday, but they are too farfrom the shore, and it is so finished, and smooth, and nice about herethat there is no such thing as a pole or a stick to be found any whereto reach with. "

Presently, however, Rollo came to a boy who was fishing on the bank ofthe stream, and he asked him if he would be good enough to hook in oneof those lilies for him with his pole and line. The boy was very willingto do it. He threw a loop of his line over one of the pond lilies, anddrew it in. Rollo thanked the boy for his kindness, and gave the pondlily to his mother. 

Perhaps there are no flowers that give a higher pleasure to thepossessors than those which a boy of Rollo's age gathers for his mother. 

The party walked on. Mrs. Holiday's attention was soon stronglyattracted to the various groups of peasants which she saw working in thefields, or walking along the road. First came a young girl, with abroad-brimmed straw hat on her head, driving a donkey cart loaded withsheaves of grain. Next an old and decrepit-looking woman, with a greatbundle of sticks on her head. It seemed impossible that she could carryso great a load in such a manner. As our party went by, she turned herhead slowly round a little way, to look at them; and it was curious tosee the great bundle of sticks--which was two feet in diameter, and fouror five feet long--slowly turn round with her head, and then slowly turnback again as she went on her way. 

Next Mrs. Holiday paused a moment to look at some girls who were hoeingin the field. The girls looked smilingly upon the strangers, and badethem good morning. 

"Ask them, " said Mrs. Holiday to Rollo, "if their work is not veryhard. "

So Rollo asked them the question. Mrs. Holiday requested him to do itbecause she did not speak French very well, and so she did not like totry. 

The girls said that the work was not hard at all. They laughed, and wenton working faster than ever. 

Next they came to a poor wayfaring woman, who was sitting by theroadside with an infant in her arms. Rollo immediately took out one ofthe little cakes from the parcel in his knapsack, and handed it to thechild. The mother seemed very much pleased. She bowed to Rollo, andsaid, --

"She thanks you infinitely, sir. "

Thus they went on for about three quarters of an hour. During all thistime Mrs. Holiday's attention was so much taken up with what shesaw, --sometimes with the groups of peasants and the pretty little viewsof gardens, cottages, and fields which attracted her notice by the roadside, ever and anon by the glimpses which she obtained of the stupendousmountain ranges that bordered the valley on either hand, and that werecontinually presenting their towering crags and dizzy precipices to viewthrough the opening of the trees on the plain, --that she had not time tothink of being fatigued. At length Rollo asked her how she liked thewalk. 

"Very well, " said she; "only I think now I have walked full as far as Ishould ever have to go at home, when making calls, before coming to thefirst house. So as soon as you can you may find me a place to sit downand rest a little while. "

"Well, " said Rollo, "I see a grove of trees by the roadside, on ahead alittle way. When we get there we will sit down in the shade and rest. "

So they went on till they came to the grove. The grove proved to be avery pretty one, though it consisted of only four or five trees; butunfortunately there was no place to sit down in it. Rollo looked aboutfor some time in vain, and seemed quite disappointed. 

"Never mind, " said his mother; "sometimes, when I make a call, I findthat the lady I have called to see is not at home; and then, even if Iam tired and want to rest, I have to go on to the next house. We willsuppose that at this place the lady is not at home. "

Rollo laughed and walked on. It was not long before they reached a placewhere there was a kind of granary, or some other farm building of thatsort, near the road, with a little yard where some logs were lying. Rollo found excellent seats for his father and mother on these logs. They sat on one of them, and leaned their backs against another that wasa little higher up. They were in the shade of the building, too, so thatthe place was very cool. 

"This is a very nice place to rest, " said Mrs. Holiday; "and while weare sitting, we can amuse ourselves in looking at the people that goby. "

The first person that came was a pretty-looking peasant girl of aboutseventeen, who had a tub upon her head. What was in the tub Rollo couldnot see. With such a burden on her head, however, it is plain that thegirl could not wear her hat in the ordinary manner, and so she carriedit tied to the back of her neck, with its broad brim covering hershoulders. This, Mr. Holiday said, seemed to him to be carrying themodern fashion of wearing the bonnet quite to an extreme. 

[Illustration: THE BASKET RIDE. ]

The Swiss women have other ways of bearing burdens, besides loading themupon their heads. They carry them upon their backs, sometimes, inbaskets fitted to their shoulders. A woman came by, while Rollo and hisfather and mother were sitting upon the logs, with her child taking aride in such a basket on her back. As soon as this woman was past, Rollo was so much struck with the comical appearance that the childmade, sitting upright in the basket, and looking around, that he tookout some paper and a pencil immediately from his portfolio, and askedhis mother to make a drawing of the woman, with the child in the basketon her back. This Mrs. Holiday could easily do, even from the briefglimpse which she had of the woman as she went by; for the outlines ofthe figure and dress of the woman and of the basket and child were verysimple. Mrs. Holiday afterwards put in some of the scenery for abackground. 

When the drawing was finished, Rollo told his mother that he calculatedthat they had come one third of the way, and asked her if she felttired; and she said she did not feel tired at all, and so they rose andwent on. 

In a short time they came to a village. It consisted of a narrow street, with stone houses on each side of it. The houses were close together andclose to the street. In one place several people were sitting out beforethe door, and among them was a poor, sickly child, such as are foundvery often in the low valleys of Switzerland, of the kind called_cretins_. These children are entirely helpless, and they have noreason, or at least very little. The one which Rollo saw was a girl, and appeared to be about ten years old; but it did not seem to havestrength enough to sit up in its chair. It was continually lolling andfalling about on this side and that, and trying to look up. The motherof the child sat by her, and kept her from falling out of the chair. Shewas talking, the mean while, with the neighbors, who were sitting thereon a bench, knitting or sewing. 

The face of the child was deformed, and had scarcely a human expression. Both Rollo and his mother were much shocked at the spectacle. 

"It is a _cretin_--is it not?" said Mrs. Holiday to her husband, in awhisper, as soon as they had passed by. 

"Yes, " said Mr. Holiday. 

"Mother, " said Rollo, "would you give that poor little thing a cake?"

"Yes, " said Mrs. Holiday; "I would. "

"Do you think she will understand?" asked Rollo. 

"Yes, " said Mrs. Holiday; "I think she will; and at any rate her motherwill. "

Rollo had by this time taken out his cake. He went back with it to theplace where the women were sitting, and held it out, half, as it were, to the mother, and half to the child, so that either of them might takeit, saying, at the same time, to the mother, in French, --

"For this poor little child. "

The mother smiled, and looked very much pleased. The cretin, whose eyescaught a glimpse of the cake, laughed, and began to try to reach out herhand to take it. It seemed hard for her to guide her hand to the place, and she fell over from side to side all the time while attempting to doso. She would have fallen entirely if her mother had not held her up. Atlength she succeeded in getting hold of the cake, which she carrieddirectly to her mouth, and then laughed again with a laugh that seemedscarcely human, and was hideous to see. 

"Does she understand?" asked Rollo. 

"Yes, " said the mother; "she understands, but she can't speak, poorthing. But she is very much obliged to you indeed. "

So Rollo bowed to the mother of the child, and to the other women, andthen went on and rejoined his father and mother. 

They passed through the village, and then came into the open countryagain. Sometimes the mountains that bordered the valley receded to somedistance; at other times they came very near; and there was one placewhere they formed a range of lofty precipices a thousand feet high, thatseemed almost to overhang the road. Here Rollo stopped to look up. Hesaw, near a rounded mass of rock, half way up the mountain, two youngeagles that had apparently just left their nest, and were trying tolearn to fly. The old eagles were soaring around them, screaming. Theyseemed to be afraid that their young ones would fall down the rocks andget killed. Rollo wished that they would fall down, or at least flydown, to where he was, in order that he might catch one of them. Butthey did not. They took only short flights from rock to rock and fromthicket to thicket, but they did not come down. So, after watching themfor a time, Rollo went on. 

Next they came to a place where the valley took a turn so as to exposethe mountain side to the sun in such a manner as to make a good placethere for grapes to grow and ripen. The people had accordingly terracedthe whole declivity by building walls, one above another, to support theearth for the vineyards; and when Rollo was going by the place he lookedup and saw a man standing on the wall of one of the terraces, with thetool which he had been working with in his hand. He seemed suspended inmid air, and looked down on the road and on the people walking along itas a man would look down upon a street in London from the gallery underthe dome of St. Paul's. 

"That's a pleasant place to work, " said Rollo, "away up there, betweenthe heavens and the earth. "

"Yes, " said his mother; "and I should think that taking care of vinesand gathering the grapes would be very pretty work to do. "

There was a little building on the corner of one of the terraces, whichMr. Holiday said was a watch tower. There were windows on all the sidesof it. 

"When the grapes begin to ripen, " said he, "there is a man stationedthere to watch all the vineyards around, in order to prevent people fromstealing the grapes. "

"I should think there would be danger of their stealing the grapes, "said Rollo. 

After going on a little way beyond this, they began to approach the townof Aigle. Mrs. Holiday was surprised that she could have come so farwith so little fatigue. Rollo told her that it was because she hadwalked along so slowly. 

"Yes, " said Mr. Holiday; "and because there have been so many things totake up our attention by the way. "

When they arrived at the village they went directly to the inn. The innsin these country towns in Switzerland are the largest and mostconspicuous looking buildings to be seen. Rollo went first, and led theway. He went directly to the dining room. 

The dining rooms in these inns, as I have already said, are the publicrooms, where the company always go, whether they wish for any thing toeat or not. There is usually one large table, for dinner, in the centreof the room, and several smaller tables at the sides or at the windows, for breakfasts and luncheons, and also for small dinner parties of twoor three. Besides these tables, there is often one with a pen and inkupon it for writing, and another for knapsacks and carpet bags; andthere are sofas for the company to repose upon while the waiter issetting the table for them. 

Rollo accordingly led the way at once to the dining room of the inn, andconducted his mother to a sofa. 

"Now, Rollo, " said Mr. Holiday, "order us a dinner. "

So Rollo went to the waiter, and after talking with him a little while, came back and said that he had ordered some fried trout, some vealcutlets, fried potatoes, an omelette, and some coffee. 

"And besides that, " said Rollo, "he is going to give us some plums andsome pears. This is a famous place for plums and pears. "

"And for grapes, too, in the season of them, " said Mr. Holiday. 

This was very true. Indeed, on looking about the walls of the room, tosee the maps and the pretty pictures of Swiss scenery that were there, Rollo found among the other things an advertisement of what was calledthe _grape cure_. It seems that eating ripe grapes was considered a curefor sickness in that country, and that people were accustomed to come tothat very town of Aigle to procure them. There was no place inSwitzerland, the advertisement said, where the grapes were richer andsweeter than there. 

The advertisement went on to say that the season for the grape cure wasin September, October, and November; that there were a number of finevineyards in the vicinity of the town which produced the most deliciousgrapes; and that these vineyards were placed at the disposal of theguests of the hotel at the rate of a franc a day for each person; sothat for that sum they could have every day as many as they could eat;and this was to be their medicine, to make them well. 

Rollo read this advertisement aloud to his father and mother, with atone of voice which indicated a very eager interest in it. 

"Father, " said he, "I wish you would come here and try it. Perhaps itwould make you well. "

The advertisement was in French, and Rollo translated it as he read it. He succeeded very well in rendering into English all that was said aboutthe grapes, and the manner of taking them, and the terms for boarders atthe hotel; but when he came to the names of the diseases that the grapeswould cure, he was at a loss, as most of them were learned medicalwords, which he had never seen before. So he read off the names inFrench, and concluded by asking his father whether he did not think itwas some of those things that was the matter with him. 

"Very likely, " said his father. 

"Then, father, " said Rollo, "I wish you would come here in October, andtry the grape cure, and bring me too. "

"Very likely I may, " said his father. "This is on the great road toItaly, and we may conclude to go to Italy this winter. "

Just at this time the door of the dining room opened, and a new partycame in. It consisted of a gentleman and lady, who seemed to be a newmarried pair. They came in a carriage. Rollo looked out the window, andsaw the carriage drive away from the door to go to the stable. 

The gentleman put his haversack and the lady's satchel and shawl downupon the table, and then took a seat with her upon another sofa whichwas in the room. 

The dinner which Rollo had ordered was soon ready, and they sat down toeat it with excellent appetites. While they were at dinner, Rolloinquired of the waiter what time the omnibus went to Villeneuve, and helearned that it did not go for some hours. So Mr. Holiday told his wifethat she might either have a chamber, and lie down and rest herselfduring that time, or they might go out and take a walk. 

Mrs. Holiday said that she did not feel at all fatigued, and so shewould like to go and take a walk. 

There was a castle on a rising ground just in the rear of the village, which had attracted her attention in coming into the town, and she wasdesirous of going to see it. 

So they all set off to go and see the castle. They found their way to itwithout any difficulty. It proved to be an ancient castle, built in themiddle ages, but it was used now for a prison. The family of the jailerlived in it too. It looked old and gone to decay. 

When they entered the court yard, a woman looked up to the windows andcalled out _Julie!_ Presently a young girl answered to the call, and thewoman told her that here were some people come to see the castle. SoJulie came down and took them under her charge. 

The party spent half an hour in rambling over the castle. They wentthrough all sorts of intricate passages, and up and down flights ofstone stairs, steep, and narrow, and winding. They saw a number ofdismal dungeons. Some were dark, so that the girl had to take a candleto light the way. The doors were old, and blackened by time, and theymoved heavily on rusty hinges. The bolts, and bars, and locks were allrusted, too, so that it was very difficult to move them. 

The visitors did not see all the dungeons and cells, for some of themhad prisoners in them then, and those doors Julie said she was notallowed to open, for fear that the prisoners should get away. 

After rambling about the old castle as much as they desired to do, andascending to the tower to view the scenery, the party came down again, and returned to the inn. 

They found the dining room full of boys. These boys were sitting at along table, eating a luncheon. They were the boys of a school. Theteacher was at the head of the table. Rollo talked with some of theboys, for he found two or three that could talk French and English, though their English was not very good. 

In due time the omnibus came to the door, and then Rollo conducted hisfather and mother to it, and assisted them to get in. The sun was nownearly down, and the party had a delightful ride, in the cool air of theevening, back to Villeneuve. 

The next day they embarked on board the steamer, and returned to Geneva. 

CHAPTER XV. 

THE JEWELRY. 

I have already said that Geneva is a very famous place for themanufacture of watches and jewelry, and that almost every person whogoes there likes to buy some specimen of these manufactures as asouvenir of their visit. 

There is a great difference in ladies, in respect to the interest whichthey take in dress and ornaments. Some greatly undervalue them, somegreatly overvalue them. 

Some ladies, especially such as are of a very conscientious andreligious turn of mind, are apt to imagine that there is something wrongin itself in wearing ornaments or in taking pleasure in them. But weshould remember that God himself has ornamented every thing in naturethat has not power to ornament itself. Look at the flowers, the fruits, the birds, the fields, the butterflies, the insects; see how beautifulthey all are made by _ornaments_ with which God has embellished them. 

God has not ornamented man, nor has he clothed him; but he has given himthe powers and faculties necessary to clothe and ornament himself. Hehas provided him with the means, too, and with the means as much for theone as for the other. There are cotton and flax which he can procurefrom plants, and wool and fur from animals, for his clothing; and thenthere are gold and silver in the earth, and rubies, emeralds, anddiamonds, for his ornaments; and if we are not to use them, what werethey made for?

They, therefore, seem to be in error who discard all ornaments, andthink that to wear them or to take pleasure in them is wrong. 

But this, after all, is not the common failing. The danger is usuallyaltogether the other way. A great many ladies overvalue ornaments. Theyseem to think of scarcely any thing else. They cannot have too manyrings, pins, bracelets, and jewels. They spend _all_ their surplus moneyfor these things, and even sometimes pinch themselves in comforts andnecessaries, to add to their already abundant supplies. This excessivefondness for dress and articles for personal adornment is a mark of aweak mind. It is seen most strongly in savages, and in people of thelowest stages of refinement and cultivation. The opposite error, thoughfar less common, is equally an error; and though it is not the mark ofany weakness of the mind, it certainly denotes a degree of perversion insome of the workings of it. 

The morning after the return of our party to Geneva from their excursionalong the lake, they made their arrangements for leaving Geneva finallyon the following day. 

"And now, " said Mr. Holiday to his wife, "Geneva is a famous place forornaments and jewelry; and before we go, I think you had better go withme to some of the shops, and buy something of that kind, as a souvenirof your visit. "

"Well, " said Mrs. Holiday, "if you think it is best, we will. Only Idon't think much of ornaments and jewelry. "

"I know you do not, " said Mr. Holiday; "and that is the reason why Ithink you had better buy some here. "

Mrs. Holiday laughed. She thought it was rather a queer reason forwishing her to buy a thing--that she did not care much about it. 

Rollo was present during this conversation between his father andmother, and listened to it; and when, finally, it was decided that hismother should go to one or two of the shops in Geneva, to look at, andperhaps purchase, some of the ornaments and jewelry, he wished to gotoo. 

"Why?" said his mother; "do _you_ wish to buy any of those things?"

Rollo said he did. He wished to buy some for presents. 

"Have you got any money?" asked his father. 

"Yes, sir, plenty, " said Rollo. 

Rollo was a very good manager in respect to his finances, and alwayskept a good supply of cash on hand, laid up from his allowance, so as tobe provided in case of any sudden emergency like this. 

So the party set out together, after breakfast, to look at the shops. They knew the shops where jewelry was kept for sale by the display ofrings, pins, bracelets, and pretty little watches, that were put up atthe windows. They went into several of them. The shops were not large, but the interior of them presented quite a peculiar aspect. There wereno goods of any kind, except those in the windows, to be seen, nor werethere even any shelves; but the three sides of the room were filled withlittle drawers, extending from the floor to the ceiling. These drawerswere filled with jewelry of the richest and most costly description; andthus, though there was nothing to be seen at first view, the value ofthe merchandise ready to be displayed at a moment's notice was verygreat. 

In the centre of the room, in front of the drawers, werecounters--usually two, one on each side; and sometimes there was a tablebesides. The table and the counters were elegantly made, of fine cabinetwork, and before them were placed handsome chairs and sofas, nicelycushioned, so that the customers might sit at their ease, and examinethe ornaments which the shopkeeper showed them. The counters were of thesame height as the table, and there were drawers in them below, and alsoin the table, like those along the sides of the room. 

At the first shop where our party went in, two ladies, very showilydressed, were sitting at a table, looking at a great variety of pins, rings, and bracelets that the shopkeeper had placed before them. Thearticles were contained in little rosewood and mahogany trays, linedwith velvet; and they looked very brilliant and beautiful as they lay, each in its own little velvet nest. 

The ladies looked up from the table, and gazed with a peculiar sort ofstare, well known among fashionable people of a certain sort, upon Mrs. Holiday, as she came in. One of them put up a little eye glass to hereye, in order to see her more distinctly. Mr. And Mrs. Holiday, followedby Rollo, advanced and took their places on a sofa before one of thecounters. The ladies then continued their conversation, apparentlytaking no notice of the new comers. 

One of the ladies was holding a bracelet in her hand. She had alreadytwo bracelets on each wrist, and ever so many rings on her fingers, besides a large brooch in her collar, and a double gold chain to herwatch, with a great number of breloques and charms attached to it. Sheseemed to be considering whether she should buy the bracelet that shewas holding in her hand or not. 

"It certainly is a beauty, " said she. 

"Yes, " said the other; "and if I were you, Almira, I would take itwithout hesitating a moment. You can afford it just as well as not. "

"It is so high!" said Almira, doubtingly, and holding up the bracelet, so as to see the light reflected from the surfaces of the preciousstones. 

"I don't think it is high at all, " said her friend; "that is, for suchstones and such setting. A thousand francs, he says, and that is onlytwo hundred dollars. That is nothing at all for so rich a husband asyours. "

"I know, " said Almira; "but then he always makes such wry faces if I buyany thing that costs more than fifty or seventy-five dollars. "

[Illustration: SHOPPING AT GENEVA. ]

"I would not mind his wry faces at all, " said her friend. "He doesnot mean any thing by them. Depend upon it, he is as proud to see youwear handsome things as any man, after he has once paid for them. Then, besides, perhaps the man will take something off from the thousandfrancs. "

"I will ask him, " said Almira. 

So she called the shopman to her, and asked him in French whether hecould not take eight hundred francs for the bracelet. 

She accosted him in French, for that is the language of Geneva; and thetwo ladies had talked very freely to each other in English, supposingthat neither the shopkeeper nor the new party of customers wouldunderstand what they were saying. But it happened that the shopkeeperhimself, as well as Mr. And Mrs. Holiday, understood English very well, and thus he knew the meaning of all that the ladies had been saying; andhe was too well acquainted with human nature not to know that the end ofsuch a consultation and deliberation as that would be the purchase ofthe bracelet, and was therefore not at all disposed to abate the price. 

"No, madam, " said he, speaking in French, and in a very polite andobliging manner; "I cannot vary from the price I named at all. We areobliged to adopt the system of having only one price here. Besides, that bracelet could not possibly be afforded for less than a thousandfrancs. Earlier in the season we asked twelve hundred francs for it; andI assure you, madam, that it is a great bargain at a thousand. "

After looking at the bracelet a little longer, and holding it up againin different lights, and hearing her friend's solicitations that shewould purchase it repeated in various forms, Almira finally concluded totake it. 

It may seem, at first view, that Almira's friend evinced a great deal ofgenerosity in urging her thus to buy an ornament more rich and costlythan she could hope to purchase for herself; but her secret motive wasnot a generous one at all. She wished to quote Almira's example to herown husband, as a justification for her having bought a richer piece ofjewelry than he would otherwise have approved of. 

"Mine only cost eight hundred francs, " she was going to say; "and cousinAlmira bought one that cost a thousand. "

In this way she hoped to exhibit to her husband that which he mightotherwise have regarded as foolish extravagance in the light ofself-denial and prudent economy. 

In the mean time, while Almira and her friend had been making theirpurchases at the table, another shopman had been displaying a greatmany trays to Mrs. Holiday on one of the counters. The ornamentscontained in these trays were by no means as costly as those which hadbeen shown to the two ladies at the table; for Mrs. Holiday had said tothe shopman, as she came in, that she wished to see only some simplepins and other ornaments worth from fifty to one hundred francs. Theywere, however, just as pretty in Mrs. Holiday's opinion. Indeed, thebeauty of such ornaments as these seldom has any relation to thecostliness of them. This, however, constitutes no reason, in the opinionof many ladies, why they should buy the less expensive ones; for withthese ladies it is the costliness of an ornament, rather than the beautyof it, that constitutes its charm. 

The two ladies paid for their purchases with gold coins which they tookfrom elegant gold-mounted porte-monnaies that they carried in theirhands, and then, with a dash and a flourish, went away. 

Mrs. Holiday took up one after another of the ornaments before her, andlooked at them with a musing air and manner, that seemed to denote thather thoughts were not upon them. She was thinking how erroneous anestimate those ladies form of the comparative value of the differentsources of happiness within the reach of women who sacrifice theconfidence and love of their husbands to the possession of a pearlnecklace or a diamond pin. 

Mrs. Holiday finally bought two ornaments, and Rollo bought two also. Rollo's were small pins. They were very pretty indeed. One of them costtwelve francs, and the other fifteen. His mother asked him whether hewas going to wear them himself. 

"O, no, mother, " said he; "I have bought them to give away. "

His mother then asked him whom he was going to give them to. He laughed, and said that that was a secret. He would tell her, however, he said, whom one of them was for. It was for his cousin Lucy. 

"And which of them is for her?" asked his mother. 

"This one, " said Rollo. So saying he showed his mother the one that costtwelve francs. 

CHAPTER XVI. 

A FORTUNATE ACCIDENT. 

The day before Rollo left Geneva, he met with an accident which hisfather called a fortunate one, though Rollo himself was at firstinclined to consider it quite an unfortunate one. The reason why Mr. Holiday considered it fortunate was, that no evil result followed fromit, except giving Rollo a good fright. "It is always a lucky thing for aboy, " said Mr. Holiday, "when he meets with any accident that frightenshim well, provided it does not hurt him much. "

The accident that happened to Rollo was this: There was a boy at thehotel, who had recently come with his father and mother from India. Hewas the son of an English army officer. His name was Gerald. He was atall and handsome boy, and was about a year older than Rollo. 

In the afternoon of the day before the party were to leave Geneva, Rollocame in from the quay, where he had been out to take a walk, and askedpermission to go out on the lake, a little way, in a boat, with Gerald. 

"Does Gerald understand how to manage a boat?" asked Mr. Holiday. 

"O, yes, sir, " said Rollo. "He has been all over the world, and he knowshow to manage every thing. Besides, I can manage a boat myself wellenough to go out on this lake. It is as smooth as a mill pond. "

"Very well, " said Mr. Holiday. "Only it must not be a sail boat. Youmust take oars; and look out well that the Rhone does not catch you. "

Rollo understood very well that his father meant by this that he must becareful not to let the current, which was all the time drawing the waterof the lake off under the bridge, and thus forming the Rhone below, carry the boat down. Rollo said that he would be very careful; and offhe went to rejoin Gerald on the quay. 

Gerald was already in the boat. He had with him, also, a Swiss boy, whomhe had engaged to go too, as a sort of attendant, and to help row, ifnecessary. An English boy, in such cases, never considers the partycomplete unless he has some one to occupy the place of a servant, and tobe under his command. 

So the three boys got into the boat, and pushed off from the shore. Fora time every thing went on well and pleasantly. Rollo and the others hada fine time in rowing to and fro over the smooth water, from onebeautiful point of land to another, on the lake shores, and sometimes inlying still on the calm surface, to rest from the labor, and to amusethemselves in looking down in the beautiful blue depths beneath them, and watching the fishes that were swimming about there. At last, in thecourse of their manoeuvrings, they happened to take the boat rathertoo near the bridge. The attention of the boys was at the time directedto something that they saw in the water; and they did not perceive hownear the bridge they were until Rollo happened to observe that thestones at the bottom seemed to be rapidly moving along in the directiontowards the lake. 

"My!" said Rollo; "see how fast the stones are going!"

"The stones!" exclaimed Gerald, starting up, and seizing an oar. "It'sthe boat! We are going under the bridge, as sure as fate! Put out youroar, Rollo, and pull for your life! Pull!"

Both Rollo and the Swiss boy immediately put out their oars and pulled;but Gerald soon found that the current was too strong for them. In spiteof all they could do, the boat was evidently slowly drifting towards thebridge. 

"It is of no use, " said Gerald, at last. "We shall have to go through;but that will do no harm if we can only manage to keep her from strikingthe piers. Take in your oars, boys, and let me pull her round so as tohead down stream, and you stand ready to fend off when we are goingunder. "

The excitement of this scene was very great, and Rollo's first impulsewas to scream for help; but observing how cool and collected Geraldappeared, he felt somewhat reassured, and at once obeyed Gerald'sorders. He took in his oar, and holding it in his hands, as if it hadbeen a boat hook or a setting pole, he prepared to fend off from thepiers when the boat went through. In the mean time Gerald had succeededin getting the boat round, so as to point the bows down stream, just asshe reached the bridge; and in this position she shot under it like anarrow. Several boys who were standing on the bridge at this time, afterwatching at the upper side till the boat went under, ran across to thelower side, to see her come out. 

The boat passed through the bridge safely, though the stern struckagainst the pier on one side, just as it was emerging. The reason ofthis was, that Gerald, in bringing it round so as to head down thestream, had given it a rotating motion, which continued while it waspassing under the bridge, and thus brought the stern round against thepier. No harm was done, however, except that the boat received a ratherrude concussion by the blow. 

"Now, boys, " said Gerald, speaking in French, "we must keep her head andstern up and down the stream, or we shall make shipwreck. "

"Yes, " said Rollo, in English; "if we should strike a snag or any thing, broadside on, the boat would roll right over. "

"A snag!" repeated Gerald, contemptuously. The idea was indeed absurd offinding a snag in the River Rhone; for a snag is formed by a floatingtree, which is washed into the river by the undermining of the banks, and is then carried down until it gets lodged. There are millions ofsuch trees in the Mississippi, but none in the Rhone. 

However, Rollo was right in his general idea. There might beobstructions of some sort in the river, which it would be dangerous forthe boat to encounter broadside on; so he took hold resolutely of thework of helping Gerald bring it into a position parallel with thedirection of the stream. In the mean time the boat was swept down thetorrent with fearful rapidity. It glided swiftly on amid boilingwhirlpools and sheets of rippling foam, that were quite frightful tosee. The buildings of the town here bordered the banks of the river oneach side, and there were little jutting piers and platforms here andthere, with boys upon them in some places, fishing, and women washingclothes in others. The boys in the boat did not call for help, and sonobody attempted to come and help them. Gerald's plan was to keep theboat headed right, and so let her drift on until she had passed throughthe town, in hopes of being able to bring her up somewhere on the shorebelow. 

At one time the force of the current carried them quite near to theshore, at a place where Gerald thought it would be dangerous to attemptto land, and he called out aloud to Rollo to "fend off. " Rollo attemptedto do so, and in the attempt he lost his oar. He was standing near thebows at the time, and as he planted his oar against the bottom, thecurrent carried the boat on with such irresistible impetuosity that theoar was wrested from his hand in an instant. If he had not let go of ithe would have been pulled over himself. Gerald, however, had thepresence of mind to reach out his own oar at once, and draw the lost oneback towards the boat, so that the Swiss boy seized it, and, to Rollo'sgreat joy, took it in again. 

The boat at one time came very near drifting against one of the greatwater wheels which were revolving in the stream. Gerald perceived thedanger just in time, and he contrived to turn the head of the boat outtowards the centre of the river, and then commanding Rollo and the Swissboy to row, and pulling, himself, with all his force, he just succeededin escaping the danger. 

By this time the boat had passed by the town, and it now came to a partof the river which was bordered by smooth, grassy banks on each side, and with a row of willows growing near the margin of the water. This wasthe place, in fact, where Rollo had walked along the shore with hismother, in going down to visit the junction of the Rhone and the Arve. 

"Now, " said Gerald, "here is a chance for us to make a landing. I'llhead her in towards the shore. "

So Gerald turned the head of the boat in towards the bank, and then, bydint of hard rowing, the boys contrived gradually to draw nearer andnearer to the shore, though they were all the time drifting rapidlydown. At last the boat came so near that the bow was just ready to touchthe bank, and then Gerald seized the painter, and, watching hisopportunity, leaped ashore, and, running to the nearest willow, woundthe painter round it. This at once checked the motion of the bow, andcaused the stern to swing round. Gerald immediately unwound the painter, and ran to the willow next below, where he wound it round again, andthere succeeded at last in making it fast, and stopping the motion ofthe boat altogether. Rollo and the Swiss boy then made their escape safeto land. 

"There!" said Rollo, taking at the same time a high jump, to express hisexultation; "there! Here we are safe, and who cares?"

"Ah!" said Gerald, calmly; "it is very easy to say Who cares? now thatwe have got safe to land; but you'll find me looking out sharp not toget sucked into those ripples again. "

So the boys went home. Gerald found a man to go down and bring back theboat, while Rollo proceeded to the hotel, to report the affair to hisfather and mother. Mrs. Holiday was very much alarmed, but Mr. Holidayseemed to take the matter quite coolly. He said he thought that Rollowas now, for all the rest of his life, in much less danger of beingdrowned by getting carried down rapids in a river than he was before. 

"He understands the subject now somewhat practically, " said Mr. Holiday. 

The term of Mr. Holiday's visit had now expired, and the arrangementswere to be made for leaving town, with a view of returning again toParis. Rollo, however, was very desirous that before going back to Paristhey should make at least a short excursion among the mountains. 

"Where shall we go?" said his father. 

"To the valley of Chamouni, " said Rollo. "They say that that is theprettiest place in all Switzerland. "

"How long will it take us to go?" asked Mr. Holiday. 

"We can go in a day, " said Rollo. "There are plenty of diligences. Theoffices of them are here all along the quay. 

"Or, if you don't choose to go so far in a day, " continued Rollo, "youcan go in half a day to the entrance of the valley, where there is agood place to stop, and then we can go to Chamouni the next day. I havestudied it all out in the guide book. "

"Very well, " said Mr. Holiday. "It seems that we can get into the valleyof Chamouni very easily; and now how is it about getting out?"

At this question Rollo's countenance fell a little, and he replied thatit was not so easy to get out. 

"There is no way to get out, " said he, "except to go over themountains, unless we come back the same way we go in. "

"That would not be quite so pleasant, " said Mr. Holiday. 

"No, sir, " said Rollo; "it would be better to go out some new way. Butthere is not any way. It is a long, narrow valley, very high up amongthe mountain glaciers. There is a way to get out at the upper end, butit is only a mountain pass, and we should have to ride over on mules. But you could ride on a mule--could not you, father?"

"Why, yes, " said Mr. Holiday, "perhaps I could; but it might be toofatiguing for your mother. She has not been accustomed to ride onhorseback much of late years. 

"Besides, " he continued, "I suppose that as it is a mountain pass, theroad must be pretty steep and difficult. "

"Yes, sir, " said Rollo; "it is steep some part of the way. You have togo up for half an hour by zigzags--right up the side of the mountain. Iread about it in the guide book. Then, after we get up to the top of thepass, we have a monstrous long way to go down. We have to go down fortwo hours, as steep as we can go. "

"I should think we should have to go _up_ as much as _down_, " said Mr. Holiday; "for it is necessary to ascend as much to get to the top ofany hill from the bottom as you _descend_ in going down to the bottomfrom the top. "

"Ah, but in Chamouni, " said Rollo, "we are very near the top already. Itis a valley, it is true; but it is up very high among the mountains, andis surrounded with snow and glaciers. That is what makes it sointeresting to go there. Besides, we can see the top of Mont Blancthere, and with a spy glass we can watch the people going up, as theywalk along over the fields of snow. "

"Well, " said Mr. Holiday, "I should like to go there very well, if yourmother consents; and then, if she does not feel adventurous enough to goover the mountain pass on a mule, we can, at all events, come back thesame way we go. "

"Yes, sir, " said Rollo; "and, besides, father, " he continued, eagerly, "there is another way that we can do. Mother can go over the mountainpass on a carrying chair. They have carrying chairs there, expressly tocarry ladies over the passes. They are good, comfortable chairs, withpoles each side of them, fastened very strong. The lady sits in thechair, and then two men take hold of the poles, one before and the otherbehind, and so they carry her over the mountains. "

"I should think that would be very easy and very comfortable, " said Mr. Holiday. "Go and find your mother, and explain it all to her, and hearwhat she says. Tell her what sort of a place Chamouni is, and what thereis to be seen there, and then tell her of the different ways there willbe of getting out when once we get in. If she would like it we will go. "

Mrs. Holiday did like the plan of going to Chamouni very much. She saidshe thought that she could go over the mountain pass on a mule; and thatat any rate she could go on the carrying chair. So the excursion wasdecided upon, and the party set off the next day. 

 * * * * *

And here I must end the story of Rollo at Geneva, only adding that itproved in the end that the fifteen franc pin which Rollo bought, and thedestination of which he made a secret of, was intended for his mother. He kept the pin in his trunk until he returned to America, and then sentit into his mother's room, with a little note, one morning when she wasthere alone. His mother kept the pin a great many years, and wore it agreat many times; and she said she valued it more than any otherornament she had, though she had several in her little strong box thathad cost in money fifty times as much. 

ABBOTT'S AMERICAN HISTORY. 

A SERIES OF AMERICAN HISTORY FOR YOUTH, By JACOB ABBOTT. 

Complete in Eight Volumes, 18mo. , price $1. 25 each. 

Each Volume complete in itself. 

Each volume is illustrated with numerous Maps and Engravings, fromoriginal designs by F. O. C. Darley, J. R. Chapin, G. Perkins, CharlesParsons, H. W. Herrick, E. F. Beaulieu, H. L. Stephens, and others. 

This Series, by the well-known author of the "ROLLO BOOKS" "ROLLO'S TOURIN EUROPE, " "HARPER'S SERIES OF EUROPEAN HISTORIES, " "THE FLORENCESTORIES, " &c. , consists of the following volumes:

 1. ABORIGINAL AMERICA. 2. DISCOVERY OF AMERICA. 3. THE SOUTHERN COLONIES. 4. THE NORTHERN COLONIES. 5. WARS OF THE COLONIES. 6. THE REVOLT OF THE COLONIES. 7. THE REVOLUTION. 8. WASHINGTON. 

Notices of the Initial Volume. 

_From the Boston Traveller. _

"The most excellent publication of the kind ever undertaken. "

_From the Boston Advertiser. _

"The illustrations are well designed and executed. "

_From the Boston Post. _

"One of the most useful of the many good and popular books of whichMr. Abbott is the author. "

_From the Philadelphia North American. _

"It is indeed a very vivid and comprehensive presentation of thephysical aspect and aboriginal life visible on this continent before thediscovery by white men. "

_From the Troy Whig. _

"Mr. Abbott's stories have for years been the delight of thousands. "

_Published by Sheldon & Co. _

PETER PARLEY'S OWN STORY. 

From the Personal Narrative of the late SAMUEL G. GOODRICH (PeterParley). 

1 vol. 16mo. , illustrated, price $1. 25. 

 CHILDREN'S SAYINGS; OR, EARLY LIFE AT HOME. 

By CAROLINE HADLEY. With Illustrations, by WALTER CRANE. 

1 vol. Square 16mo. , price 90 cents. 

 STORIES OF OLD. OLD TESTAMENT SERIES. 

By CAROLINE HADLEY. 

1 vol. 12mo. , Illustrated, price $1. 25. 

 STORIES OF OLD. NEW TESTAMENT SERIES. 

By CAROLINE HADLEY. 

1 vol. 12mo. , Illustrated, price $1. 25. 

ROSE MORTON'S JOURNAL. 

A series of volumes containing Rose Morton's Journal for the severalmonths of the year. 

Each volume Illustrated, 18mo. , 45 cents. 

There are now ready, ROSE MORTON'S JOURNAL FOR JANUARY. ROSE MORTON'S JOURNAL FOR FEBRUARY. ROSE MORTON'S JOURNAL FOR MARCH. ROSE MORTON'S JOURNAL FOR APRIL. ROSE MORTON'S JOURNAL FOR MAY. 

WALTER'S TOUR IN THE EAST. 

A Series of interesting Travels through Egypt, Palestine Turkey, andSyria. By Rev. D. C. EDDY, D. D. 

Each volume beautifully Illustrated from Designs brought from thosecountries. 

Each volume, 16mo. , price 90 cents. 

There are now ready, Walter in Egypt. Walter in Jerusalem. Walter in Samaria. Walter in Damascus. Walter in Constantinople. (In press. )

_From the New York Commercial Advertiser. _

"Dr. Eddy is known as the author of 'The Percy Family, ' and is a mostpleasing and instructive writer for the young. The present volume is oneof a series of six, describing a visit of a company of young tourists tothe most interesting and sacred spots on the earth. The incidentsrecited and the facts presented are just such as will captivate whilethey instruct intelligent youth, and give even adult minds some correctideas of Eastern countries and habits. In the present volume, Waltertravels through Egypt, and his story is told in some two hundred andtwenty pages; so compactly told, indeed, that not a line could have beenomitted without injury. It is just the book for an intelligent child. "

_From the Pittsburgh Gazette. _

"There are four very appropriate illustrations, representing the sceneryand incidents of travel in Egypt. The volume, moreover, is well written, handsomely printed at the Riverside press, neatly bound in cloth, andtherefore may be commended as a suitable holiday present, --a book thatwill both instruct and interest youthful readers. "

_From the Buffalo Express. _

"This beautiful little volume is the first of a series of six, describing the visit of a company of young tourists to the mostinteresting and sacred spots on the earth. In the one underconsideration, a number of incidents are recited, and facts presented, which will be found not only exceedingly interesting and instructive toboys and girls, but will give even adult minds some idea of the romanticEast. It is elegantly bound, and illustrated with a number of finelyexecuted wood-cuts. We recommend it to the attention of parents as amost suitable and beautiful holiday present. "

THE BRIGHTHOPE SERIES. 

By J. T. TROWBRIDGE. 

 The Old Battle Ground, Father Brighthope, Hearts and Faces. Iron Thorpe, Burr Cliff. 

5 vols. 18mo. , in cloth, gilt back, uniform. Price $4. 00. 

_From the Boston Transcript. _

"Mr. Trowbridge has never written anything that was not popular, andeach new work has added to his fame. He has a wonderful faculty as aportrayer of New England characteristics, and New England scenes. "

_From the Salem Register. _

"Mr. Trowbridge will find many welcomers to the field of authorship asoften as he chooses to enter it, and to leave as pleasant a recordbehind him as the story of "Father Brighthope. " The "Old Battle Ground"is worthy of his reputation as one of the very best portrayers of NewEngland character and describers of New England scenes. "

THE GELDART SERIES. 

By Mrs. THOMAS GELDART. 

6 vols. 16mo. Illustrated by JOHN GILBERT. 

Price of each 60 cents. 

 Daily Thoughts for a Child, Truth is Everything, Sunday Morning Thoughts, Sunday Evening Thoughts, Emilie the Peacemaker, Stories of Scotland. 

_From the Boston Register. _

"These charming volumes are the much admired Geldart Series of books forthe young, which have established a very enviable reputation in Englandfor their wholesome moral tendency. They are beautifully printed 16mo. Volumes, with gilt backs, and are sold at 50 cents each. There are fivevolumes in the series, and they will form a very choice addition to ayouth's library. "

_From the Worcester Palladium. _

"What children read they often long retain; therefore it is desirablethat their books should be of a high moral tone. In this respect Mrs. Geldart has few equals as an author, and we hope that her works will befound in every child's library. "

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES

1. Minor changes have been made to correct typesetters errors and toensure consistency across the text in spelling and punctuation usage;otherwise, every effort has been made to ensure that this e-text is trueto the originial book. 

2. The original book had decorative engravings at the end of manychapters; reference to these endcaps has been omitted in this textversion. The endcaps have been included in the html version of this book