living, framed with
great difficulty ponderous but by no means Ciceronian sentences, which
they launched at our host, who replied with great fluency, showing that
for conversational purposes, at least, his command of the language was
much better than theirs. Being anxious to attend the early mass in the
morning, and tired from our ride, we were soon shown to our rooms.
Walking along the passages and viewing the different apartments, we saw
the house would accommodate a great number of persons. The rooms were
long and narrow, many of them containing a number of beds; but in this
bracing mountain air there is no fear of bad ventilation. No crack of my
window was open, but the wind blew furiously outside, and there was a
decidedly 'healthy coolness' about the apartment. The room was
uncarpeted and scantily furnished, but every thing was spotlessly clean,
and in pleasant contrast with the dirty luxury of some of the
Continental inns. A few small pictures of saints and representations of
scriptural subjects graced the white walls and constituted the only
ornaments of the room. Looking from my window I saw that the clouds had
blown away, and the brilliant moon shone on the sharp crags of the hills
and on the patches of snow that lay scattered about on the ground. The
scene was beautiful, but very cold; the wind howled around the house,
and yet this was a balmy night compared with most they have here. I
thought of merciless snow-drifts overtaking the poor blinded traveler,
benumbed, fainting, and uncertain of his path; of the terrors of such a
situation, and then glancing around the plain but comfortable room, I
could not but feel grateful to the pious founders of this venerable
institution. Long may it stand a monument of their benevolence and of
the shelter that poor wayfarers have so often found within its
hospitable walls!

At daybreak we made our way to the chapel, a large and beautiful room
with many pictures and rich ornaments, gifts of persons who have shared
the hospitality of the place. At the altar the brother who had welcomed
us on our arrival was officiating in his priestly robes, assisted by
several others. A few persons, servants of the establishment and
peasants stopping for the night, with ourselves, composed the
congregation. Two of the women present, we were told, were penitents; we
asked no further of their history, but at this remote place the incident
gave us cause for reflection and surmise. Heaven gran