to serve them because their destitution was greater
than that which existed in any other quarter of his extensive parish;
and he turned from the grand mountain scenery of Arvieux and his
comfortable cottage at La Chalp, to spend his winters in the dismal
hovels and amidst the barren wastes of Dormilhouse.

When Neff first went amongst them, the people were in a state of
almost total spiritual destitution. They had not had any pastor
stationed amongst them for nearly a hundred and fifty years. During
all that time they had been without schools of any kind, and
generation after generation had grown up and passed away in ignorance.
Yet with all the inborn tenacity of their race, they had throughout
refused to conform to the dominant religion. They belonged to the
Vaudois Church, and repudiated Romanism.

There was probably a Protestant church existing at Dormilhouse
previous to the Revocation, as is shown by the existence of an ancient
Vaudois church-bell, which was hid away until of late years, when it
was dug up and hung in the belfry of the present church. In 1745, the
Roman Catholics endeavoured to effect a settlement in the place, and
then erected the existing church, with a residence for the cure. But
the people, though they were on the best of terms with the cure,
refused to enter his church. During the twenty years that he
ministered there, it is said the sole congregation consisted of his
domestic servant, who assisted him at mass.

The story is still told of the cure bringing up from Les Ribes a large
bag of apples--an impossible crop at Dormilhouse--by way of tempting
the children to come to him and receive instruction. But they went
only so long as the apples lasted, and when they were gone the
children disappeared. The cure complained that during the whole time
he had been in the place he had not been able to get a single person
to cross himself. So, finding he was not likely to be of any use
there, he petitioned his bishop to be allowed to leave; on which, his
request being complied with, the church was closed.

This continued until the period of the French Revolution, when
religious toleration became recognised. The Dormilhouse people then
took possession of the church. They found in it several dusty images,
the basin for the holy water, the altar candlesticks, and other
furniture, just as the cure had left them many years before; and they
are still preserved as curiosities. The new occupants of the chu