and has been inserted in Mr. Gregory's list of guide-books as a
convenience if not a necessity to travellers on the same roads, though
in these days of little practical use: indeed, wherever we stopped, I
contrived to exhaust, on the spot all that was to be seen or done, with
the advantages of personal inspection, and therefore of graphic and true
description. The book has been praised for its interest and includes
divers accidents, happily surmounted, divers exploits in the milder form
of Alpine climbing (as the Mauvais Pas, which I touch experimentally at
the end of Life's Lessons, in "Proverbial Philosophy," Series IV.),
divers grand sights, as the Great Exhibition, close to which we lived
for some weeks in the Champs Elysees, and many pleasant incidents, as
greetings with friends, old and new, and other usual _memorabilia_.
Among these let me mention the honest kindliness of Courier
Pierre,--always called Pere by my children, with whom he was a great
favourite--the more readily because he has long gone to "the bourne
whence no traveller returns," so he needs no recommendation from his
late employer. This, then, I say is memorable. At Lucerne, as my
remittance from Herries failed to reach me, I seemed obliged to make a
stop and to return; but Pierre objected, saying it was "great pity not
to pass the Simplon and see Milan,--and, if Monsieur would permit him,
he could lend whatever was needful, and could be paid again." Certainly
I said this was very kind, and so I borrowed at his solicitation:--it
was L100, as I find by the journal; our travel was costing us L40 a
week. Well, to recount briefly, when, after having placed in our
_repertoire_ Bellinzona, Como, Milan, &c. &c., I found myself at Geneva,
and with remittances awaiting me, my first act was to place in Pierre's
hands L105,--and when he counted the notes, he said, "Sare, there is one
five-pound too many."--"Of course, my worthy Pierre, I hope you will
accept that as interest."--"Non, Monsieur, pardon; I could not, I always
bring money to help my families:"--and he would not. Now, if that was
not a model courier, worthy to be commemorated thus,--well, I hope there
are some others of his brethren on the office-books of Bury Street, St.
James's, who are equally duteous and disinterested. "Some people are
heroes to their valets; my worthy help is a hero to me:" so saith my
journal. Here's another extract, after two slight earthquakes at Brieg,
and Turtman (Turris M