and other
embellishments, which gave to these galleries a very attractive
appearance. Here and there, too, on the different stories, there were
sofas or other seats, with persons sitting upon them. Some were sewing,
and some were attending children who were playing near. At the two ends
of the hotel there were broad staircases connected with these galleries
and leading from one to the other. Besides the galleries there were long
corridors, extending each way from the centre of the building to ranges
of apartments situated in the wings. The hotel, in fact, was very
spacious, and it was very admirably arranged.

Rollo conducted Mr. George to the third story; and there, hanging
against the wall, he found the embossed map of Switzerland which he had
described. Mr. George and Rollo took this map down from its nail, and,
seating themselves upon a settee which was near, they held it before
them and examined it very attentively for some time. Mr. George showed
Rollo the great central valley of Switzerland, with the ranges of
mountains on each side of it. He showed him, too, the great slope of
land which extended over the whole northern part of Switzerland. It was
bounded on the north by the River Rhine and the frontier, and on the
south by the great range of mountains which separated it from the
valley. He showed him, too, the numerous lakes which were scattered over
the surface of it.

"You see," said he, "that the waters which come out from the glaciers
and the snow fields, and down through the chasms and ravines in the
mountain sides, flow on till they come to some valley or place of
comparatively low land; and they spread all over this depression, and
flow into it more and more until they fill it up and make a lake there.
When the lake is full the surplus waters run off clear wherever they
find a channel."

"Is that the way the lakes are formed?" asked Rollo.

"Yes," said Mr. George. "You will see that it is so when we get up to
them."

"_Up_ to them?" said Rollo. "You mean down to them."

"No," said Mr. George. "The lakes are up quite high. Many of them are
far up the sides of the mountains. The water, in leaving them, runs very
rapidly, showing that there is a great descent in the land where they
are flowing. Sometimes, in fact, these streams and rivers, after they
leave the lakes, form great cataracts and cascades in getting down to
the level country below.

"But now," continued Mr. George, "I must go to my writ