it is a very extraordinary spectacle," said Mr. George. "And it
is very curious to think how such a state of things has come about."

"And how has it come about?" asked Rollo.

"Why, here," replied Mr. George, "for a thousand years, for aught I
know, the people have been living from generation to generation with no
other employment than taking care of the cows that feed on the polders
around, and making the milk into cheese. That is a business which
requires neatness. Every kind of dairy business does. So that here is a
place where a current was set towards neatness a thousand years ago, and
it has been running ever since, and this is what it has come to."

Talking in this manner of what they had seen, Mr. George and Rollo
returned to the inn, and there they found an excellent breakfast. They
were waited upon at the table by the young woman who had so many golden
ornaments in her hair; and besides the _biftek aux pommes_, and the
coffee, and the hot milk, and the nice butter, there was the half of one
of the round cheeses, such as they had seen in process of making at the
dairy.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XI.

CONCLUSION.

After finishing their breakfast, Mr. George and Rollo entered the
carriage again, and returned by the same way that they came, for some
miles towards Amsterdam, until they came to the place where the road
turned off to go to Saandam. After proceeding for some distance upon one
of the inland dikes, they came at length to the margin of the sea, and
then for several miles the road lay along the great sea dike, which here
defends the land from the ingress of the ocean.

"Ah," said Mr. George, as soon as they entered upon this portion of the
road, "here we come to one of the great sea dikes. How glad I am."

"So am I," said Rollo. "I wanted to see one of the sea dikes."

"It is very much like the others," said Mr. George, "only it is much
larger."

"Yes," said Rollo, "and see how it winds about along the shore."

In looking forward in the direction in which Rollo pointed, the dike
could be traced for a long distance in its course, like an immense
railroad embankment, winding in and out in a most remarkable manner, in
conformity to the indentations of the shore. In one respect it differed
from a railroad embankment, namely, in being bordered and overshadowed
by avenues of immense trees, which showed how many ages ago the dike had
been built. There is not a railroad embankment in the worl