luminous, chequered shade, which Milton
thought the fit dancing-place for "many a
maid"—the shade of plane and pomegranate
trees, of althæas, and ilexes. The first morning,
on stepping out of doors before breakfast,
we laid hands on the black spleen-wort and
other old friends, in quantity, some, as the
vulgar polypody, a little shrivelled with the
drought and the heat; but we fear that, for
greater varieties, we shall have to climb. So
be it. If we must, we must.

For six francs (say five shillings) per head,
per day, we have comfortably furnished
bedrooms, commanding a charming view, and two
meals: a knife-and-fork breakfast at half-past
ten, and dinner at half-past five—of course at
the table d'hôte.

We lead a sort of French country-house life,
without the trouble of housekeeping: every
one doing much as he lists; the main duty
is punctuality at meal times, the infringement
of which brings with it its own punishment.
Meals, however, are obligingly served at other
than meal times, when occasion really calls for
them. Thermal appliances are entirely left to
private discretion or medical advice. For those
who inhabit the actual building in which the
baths, &c., are situated, we are told that the
atmosphere is so highly charged with emanations
from the springs, that a mere residence therein
is often remedial without absorbing the waters
themselves in any shape. In all cases, as we
have stated, it is wise to employ them with
great caution when not under medical
supervision, and even with it. Some complain of
the number of invalids met in their daily walks
and frequentations. The sight, if painful, is a
wholesome reminder which ought to convey its
lessons of moderation and charity. Besides,
has nobody a right to be ill besides ourselves
and ours? The same spectacle, on a larger
scale, is to be seen at all resorts of sickly
constitutions—at Hyères, Cannes, Nice, and
Mentone. The same markets attract the same
customers. No lunch or supper are given, nor are
they needed for the strong; the weak can ask
for ante-prandial sustenance, interpreted to
mean cups of broth or consommé. The
general beverage, the wine grown on the hills
around, is wholesome but heady. Beer is to
be had at the cafés, where wine is "low;" the
strong sweet wines of Roussillon are procurable
at the wine shops, principally frequented by
working people and private soldiers. Bowls of
morning milk, wines in bottle, liqueurs, bottled
mineral waters from distant springs, baths,
douches, pulverisations, &c., are extras at the
establishment.

On our way to Amélie the imposing mass of
the famous Canigou rose before us. There
were still patches of snow clinging to its summit,
which was capped by a substantial bonnet
of clouds. (The line of persistent snow, please
recollect, is considerably higher at the Pyrenees
than amongst the Alps.) We are told that its
ascent is not difficult, being frequently
accomplished by ladies, who can ride on mules to
within three-quarters of an hour of the top.
Perhaps we shall one day make the attempt,
after looking at it twice. Oh, if I only had my
legs of thirty, nay, twenty years ago! But
courage; they still are serviceable. And
perhaps, here, the Waters of Youth will do what
they have never done before—arrest the course
of time, and annihilate the effects of wear and
tear. And thus it is; elderlies strive not to grow
older, while young people cannot conceive that
they shall ever be old. Age and infirmity seem
wrongs inflicted upon us; when they come, we
look upon ourselves as injured males and
females; it is shameful treatment on the part
of nature. Paralytic patients indignantly quit
Amélie-les-Bains, because they are not
completely cured in a fortnight. Fortunately for
those tormented by vain regrets, in consequence
of the Thermes being situated in a hollow, the
Canigou is not visible from their windows, to
tease them by whispering, "Mount me, if you
can." But a little easy climbing allows us to
catch sight of its majestic mass in one direction,
and in the other of the Mediterranean.

Once upon a time people would cut their
hair and nails only on lucky days. I fell upon
an unlucky day for getting mine cut at Amélie.
Perceiving a coiffeur's shop, up to the Paris
mark, if not superior, I lifted the curtain
which served for door, and humbly asked,
"Can I have my hair cut?"

"No," said the operating garcon: a mature
and frizzled artist, hard at work on a solid bust,
classically draped with a snow-white toga.

"In a minute," said the master, apologetically;
"that is, in several minutes."

No other hair-professor's sanctuary being in
view, and not knowing where to find another,
I took several turns of inspection about the
spot like a stage singer during the prelude to
his song—and again lifted the curtain of
concealment. The garçon, still absorbed in his
task, took no notice of the additional light
admitted. The master, expressing by a look,
"What would you have? Phidias didn't make
a statue in an hour," again said aloud, "In a
minute; in several minutes."

So I betook myself to the admirable foot-
bridge which spans the torrent of the Mondony,
conducting you to the Military Establishment;
for hither France sends her ailing soldiers and
sailors, officers and men, to be luxuriously
tended at the expense of the state, allowing
them a season of two months each. It is the
largest and pleasantest place of the kind in the
country. Thence I saw the white nightcaps
peeping out of infirmary windows; I gazed at
the oleanders flowering in the hollow beneath
me, the pomegranates idem, and the beds of
plants which by-and-by will produce purple
aubergines. I wondered when the little green
figs, clustering on the branches, would be
ripe; how much per bushel grapes fetched in
the season; and how the nightingales hereabouts
managed to escape the vol-au-vent and the
spit. I patted the cheek of the pretty little
girl with naked feet, and head and shoulders
smothered in wraps, and I wouldn't give
anything to the brown-faced beggar-man in