ice a day, with a fine rattle of old wheels and chains, and cracking
of whips. It went down the steep hill well enough, but coming up was
quite another affair. All the passengers and the driver got out
always, and even then it was difficult to get the heavy, cumbersome
vehicle up the hill, in winter particularly, when the roads were muddy
and slippery. The driver knew us all well, and was much interested in
all that went on at the chateau. He often brought parcels, and
occasionally people from the village who wanted to see W.--sometimes a
blind piano-tuner who came from Villers-Cotterets. He was very kind to
the poor blind man, helped him down most carefully from the diligence,
and always brought him through the park gates to the lodge, where he
delivered him over to Antoine. It was curious to see the blind man at
work. Once he had been led through the rooms, he was quite at home,
found the pianos, fussed over the keys and the strings, exactly as if
he saw everything. He tuned all the pianos in the country, and was
much pleased to put his hands on one that wasn't fifty years old. I
had brought down my new Erard.

Sometimes a country wedding passed, and that was always a pretty
sight. A marriage is always an important affair in France in every
class of life. There are long discussions with all the members of the
two families. The cure, the notary, the patron (if the young man is a
workman), are all consulted, and there are as many negotiations and
agreements in the most humble families as in the grand monde of the
Faubourg St. Germain. Almost all French parents give a dot of some
kind to their children, and whatever the sum is, either five hundred
francs or two thousand, it is always scrupulously paid over to the
notary. The wedding-day is a long one. After the religious ceremony in
the church, all the wedding party--members of the two families and a
certain number of friends--adjourn to the hotel of the little town for
a breakfast, which is long and most abundant. Then comes the crowning
glory of the day--a country walk along the dusty highroad to some wood
or meadow where they can spend the whole afternoon. It is pretty to
see the little procession trudging along--the bride in all her wedding
garments, white dress, white shoes, wreath, and veil; the groom in a
dress coat, top-hat, white cravat and waistcoat, with a white ribbon
bow on his sleeve. Almost all the girls and young women are dressed in
white or light colour