, but through a well-wooded plain, on my
way towards the old city of Bourges, I had long been pacing through a
deep and dusty lane formed purposely to exclude every breath of air,
while the sun appeared to be heaping coals of fire on my devoted head.
I was at length compelled to sit down considerably affected by the
intense heat and leg-weariness. The day was now somewhat advanced,
while, to all appearance, there was no termination to the silent
woods, or, perhaps, forests on every side.

"A night in the greenwood spent,
Is but to-morrow's merriment;"

but I was now so annoyed by thirst that I was again compelled to rise
and persevere in toiling on my way, until I was so fortunate as to
meet with a man, whose rough and wild exterior portended anything or
everything sooner than such satisfactory tidings as I was sufficiently
ingenious to extract from him. Conducting me a little in advance, he
pointed towards a distant but gigantic cross, rearing itself up into
the blue sky, and then left me, apparently confident that I should
find everything needful at the foot of that cross.

Having reached this in about half an hour, I observed a monastery
situated in a valley beneath me. This, then, I conjectured was to be
my _auberge_; for, on looking around, nothing was to be seen save the
aforesaid interminable glades, and, what was still somewhat
perplexing, the monastery itself was apparently tenantless. Having
seated myself in the shade, in order to contemplate some contrivance
by which, in a respectful manner, I might gain admittance and reveal
my necessities, during perhaps an hour's suspense, I recognised not a
token of habitation, until at length a bell lazily tolled, and echoed
among the solitary woods.

Descending into the valley, I now approached the portal, within which
I found a person with a brown freckled face, enveloped in a cowl of
the same colour, seated motionless on a cold stone bench behind the
gate. For the instant, I was the rude Gaul, surveying the mysterious
senator of the forum; but without insulting his beard, or wasting
words on the subject, I followed my silent conductor through several
extensive corridors, into a spacious and very habitable salon, where a
remarkable and interesting person shortly made his appearance,
approaching with his hand proffered in token of welcome, while his
face beamed with everything one could imagine to be associated with
benevolence and charity. He seemed t