love and preserve her from the evil which is in the world! When tea
was ended, we dropped into silence, and Pastor Gessner offered up a prayer
from the sincerity of his heart, and it was evidently attended by the
spirit of divine grace and life. Afterwards dear M.S. and I expressed what
was on our minds; I interpreted for her as well as I could, and I hope
they understood it. We were all much tendered in sympathy together, and I
think the visit to this family will not soon be forgotten: we took leave
of them in the most affectionate manner, they expressing sincere desires
for our preservation.

On their return to Berne they met with some pious ladies:

One of whom, says John Yeardley, spoke German with me, and entered pretty
suddenly on the subject of the bread and wine supper, or sacrament. She
seemed to have lost sight that there is a spiritual communion which the
soul can hold with its Saviour, and which needs not the help of outward
shadows; but it is remarkable when our reasons for the disuse of such
things are given in simplicity and love, how the feelings of others become
changed towards us; they then see we do not refuse the administration of
them out of obstinacy, but from a tender conscience.

On the 8th they drove to Lausanne, and the next day to Geneva. John
Yeardley has preserved, in his diary of this part of the journey, a little
anecdote of French character which naturally struck him the more forcibly
from his having hitherto been conversant only with the phlegmatic
temperament of the Germans. The coachman, it should be said, was of that
nation.

On the road between Nyon and Geneva a little incident occurred which
showed us the liveliness of the French temperament. A man got up behind
our carriage, and our coachman very naturally whipped him down. The man
followed us quietly for a while, but at length his wounded dignity
overcame his patience, and he came up to our coachman and began to speak
furiously on the impropriety of his having whipped him. Finding he could
make nothing of one who understood not what he said, he addressed himself
to our friend Martha Towell, and said he knew he had done wrong; but the
coachman should have told him to get down, which was customary in their
country, and not to have whipped him. M.T. was prepared to appease his
wrath by a mild reply, which eased the poor man very much; otherwise I
think we should have had more trouble with him; but he seemed to be
quieted,