6

ruined barometer, in the hope that, as it always stood at fair,' it might tend to enliven them a little, et fîmes tous notre possible to prevent their setting off in a frenzy of madness and leaving us alone in our misery; our efforts being seconded by Madame Bernard's unhappy cook, who, having been engaged for three months, was fearful of having to bear a double amount of scolding if the visitors departed, and placed such tempting dishes before them, that, joined to the want of exercise, it would not have surprised me to have heard of a plethoric seizure. I must do the unfortunates themselves the justice to say, that for four or five days they did all they could to amuse and blind themselves to the fact, that it was all over with painting at Les Plans for that time at least, essaying a variety of experiments to keep themselves in practice till the weather should take up, which, according to M. Bernard, who never thought like anybody else, was to be every following morning.

On the second morning of the rain, I saw the whole party seated on the bench by the side of our châlet, where they were protected from the rain by the low roof, sketching away at Mère Giraud's beehouse, all other objects being shrouded in impenetrable mist. And certainly no one would wish to see

R

a finer example of the pursuit of knowledge under difficulties; for the rain having meandered among the pebbles paving the walk, had filled the holes worn by the feet of sitters, and compelled them to sit with their legs on the bench, like Romans at a banquet minus the cushions; and having, of course, brought no winter clothing with them, they were enveloped in all the habiliments belonging to her defunct lord and master, that their hostess could furnish, some of a date prior to this century, as it is a common practice for the well-to-do peasants to provide themselves with so large a stock of clothing that it is impossible to wear it out in a lifetime, and it descends to one generation after another without undergoing the slightest alteration. I gave them all the tables and low stools I could spare; and there for two successive days they painted away at the beehive, which must have been capable of as many variations in perspective, as a leg of mutton is in cooking; for there were views of The Bee-hive from the right,''The Bee-hive from the left'-The Beehive from the middle of the bench, from the top, from the bottom, in oil and water colours; besides sketches of the same in chalk and pencil by the sad pupil.

When night came, they caricatured each other,

NIGHT AT STORY-TELLING.

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and painted Mère Bernard as Macbeth's witches, or any other ugly old women of whom history makes mention. But these occupations came to an end, like everything else, and on the fifth morning, hearing they had lost their appetites and were talking of making their wills, I proposed they should come across and have a night at story-telling, with a bowl of punch to wind up. But here a difficulty arose in the shape of want of habiliments; for though à faire la toilette was unknown at Les Plans, it was necessary to have a more complete costume than a straw hat and cigar,' which, I have somewhere read, is the summer costume of the Nicaraguans; a plight, it appears, our friend with the white suit was nearly reduced to, his wardrobe having been so saturated by repeated wettings, that he had sat nearly the whole of the day wrapped in a counterpane! However, this obstacle was got over by M sending him one of his suits, which, though a world too large, was made presentable by turning up the cuffs of the sleeves and the hems of the trousers. As our room was not large enough to seat them all, even if we had possessed seats enough, we placed the least children on the bed; and having installed the Brigadier as president,' the question was 'who should begin ;' a query sooner asked than answered, for the four walls appeared to have had

so quieting an effect upon their tongues, and made them so bashful to boot, that nearly an hour was spent in fruitless endeavours to overcome the repugnance of each gentleman to speak first.

The matter was ended by M-proposing to make the punch, in the hope of unloosing their tongues; and while the brandy was burning, the children began talking of a walk they had had a few days before in the woods on the mountain facing our châlet, to see a poor charcoal-burner, the smoke from whose fire we saw constantly curling above the trees. And this made M- say that the mention of a charcoalburner reminded him of a perilous adventure that had happened to him many years ago when travelling in France, which he would relate to us if we would have no more light than that the spirit afforded; a proposition received with acclamations by the small fry, who, like most children, delight in a tale of horrors, though it may send them shivering with fear to bed. And then, having extracted a promise from Mons. B- — that he would narrate the next tale, he told us the following story:

CHAPTER XII.

First Artist's Tale-Adventure in the Jura-A Dark Night -Half-way House-Something Wrong-An Attack-Retreat of Robbers-Escape-Conclusion.

'SOME fifteen years ago, as I was travelling in the Département du Jura, I found myself, towards the close of a day in July, at the little town of Lons-leSaulnier, where, as my purse was never very heavy in those days, I took up my quarters at a second-rate hotel, called "La Croix Blanche." After despatching my dinner, I strolled through the town to see if it afforded any subject for my pencil, and then turned into a coffee-house where strangers usually assembled of an evening.

'On entering, I found that, owing to a concert being held there, it was impossible to obtain a seat, and, after searching in vain over the whole establishment for one, was returning, pushing my way through two rows of tables, when I felt some one give a very ungentle tug at my coat-tails, and, turning round, beheld