Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1859-08-27
CHAPTER XXI.


SUNDAY IL THE woops-THE BRIoAYD's TRAGEDY.
found the captain seated at the inn door,
beneath trellised roof of vines, smoking a
huge cigar, with bottle of rich wine before
him.
Here you are, my boy!'' said he. "Come
let me fill you bumper just to put you in a
good humOr for our long walk. Where are
your lady friends Come to mass. 1t must
be charming thing that same mass, for my
ladies, though Protestants, are off to enjoy it.
But eco! here they come. Well, ladies' are
you peckish after mass or shall we start at
once"
Everybody voted that we should lunch first
. and then take our dinner out into the woods,
where the captain, proud of his local knowl-
edge, said he would show us a mountain tarn
on the margin of which we could dine delight
fully. am sadly afraid the reader will take
me for an Epicureau, from my constant ref
erance to breakfasts, dinners, &C.; but he
must excuse me. The meal forms part of the
recollection of the place where it was eaten,
and cannot easily recall the one without the
other. The Dalmatian and Milanese were
found enjoying a nap in the garden but the
Hanoverian had disappeared, possibly PREFER
ing lonely walk to our society. The Swiss
We're getting tipsy in a bower close at hand,
from which clouds of smoke issued between
the vine leaves, mingled with roar of bac-
chanalian songs, intermixed, occasionally,
with ornamental oaths.
We started on foot, our dinner following us
ON an ass, driven by the son of the master of
the inn. The captains family consisted of a
daughter aged sixteen and her governess,
who We're severally escorted by the Dalmatian
and the Mauese. Madame B--graced the
captains side and, as usual, ! walked with
Carlotta, whose costume on this occasion was
so curious, that | shall endeavor to describe
it. Over robe of purple velvet she wore
short pelisse of light blue silk, bordered with
white fur. Her dress was fastened in fIon
with agraiies of pearl, almost close up to the
throat; these terminated with the gltterng
of a diamond necklace, which issued on both
sides from beneath masses of luxuriant hair
At the wrists, long, full sleeves of lace shaded
the fair gloveless hand, which, in the sun,
was covered with the furred lappet of the
pelisse. Her delicate white bonnet, sufficient
~ large to shelter her face from the sun. was
ornamented in the inside with wreath of
oak leaves and silver acorns, which produced
the most extraordinary effect, especially when
lighted up by her bright blue eyes. Carlotta's
lips were the reddcst in the world and her
teeth as white as ivory. When she spoke,
sist looking at her. Her chin was dimpled,
and though there was habitually little color
in her face, it became flushed with walking
and then looked radiant with joy and health.
Our walk through the trees was delicious.
There was sufficient light and air to nourish,
at tho foot of the trees, delicate turf, half
grass, half moss, on which the foot fell almost
noiselessly. 1t ives like Persian carpet.
The trunks of the trees, of all forms and di-
mensions, supporting an impenetrable canopy
of leaves, were thinned towards the edge of
the glades and allowed chequered patterns of
sunshine to descend upon the green sward.-
The most solemn stiffness prevailed around,
till it was broken by our merry laugh, and
the dialogues held by Giovanni with his ass
whom he alternately scolded and encouraged,
to keep his courage up. In one place we had
to cross dark stream by means of stepping
stones. little to our left, patch of sun
shine fell unon the wotnr W bicb dancod ond
glittered as it flowed along, like liquid mir
or rppled by the breeze. On the right it
plunged beneath outrageous trees, which
barely allowed us to catch glimpse of its
meanderings, as it flowed silently towards the
Mediterranean. Giovanni here took it into
Lis head that the rivulet was too deep for the
ass, which he accordingly wished to coax over
the stepping-stones. The animal for long
time resisted. Ultimately, however yielding
to the logic of a stout cudgel, he undertook
the task but upon reaching a broad stone in
mid-channel, stood still, obstnately deter
mined neither to advance nor to retreat. We
trembled for our dinner. Giovanni, boy OF
about fourteen, now saw clearly he had made
false move. The stone was of considerable
height, the panniers were heavy, the ass OBJ
stinate, and his halter very weak. What was
to be donel We were averse to cruelty-yet
our appetites informed us forcibly that we
must dine. Our Milanese cut the Gordian
knot by snatching the cudgel from the hands
of Giovanni, and dealing the ass so tremen-
dous blow on the crupper, that he could no
longer hesitate but plunging down into the
stream, made his way to land in the best way
he could. One or two bottles were cracked in
the operation, and shed their rich contents
into the stream, to our indispensable diasp-
pointment. However, there was no help for
II, so on we went till we reached the banks of
the Tarn, literally mountain gem; so beau
tiful was its situation, so magnificent the cliffs
arising from it on all sides, save the narrow
gap by which we had entered into the basin.
Just figure to yourself a sheet of water about
half-a-mile in circumference, with precipices,
several hundred feet high, sloping upwards
from its edge, and terminating in crags and
pinnacles, in some places pointed as needless.
Wherever scrap OF earth would allow veg
citation to take root, there small trees and
hrubs feathered the activity, trembling and
waving their variegated foliage over the abyss.