the children we had seen, and of whom the old man was the grand-father; that the wife was engaged in the cares of the household, while the old man cultivated the garden, the produce of which his son, in leisure moments, went to sell in town. This garden was a long square, divided into four parts, round each of which was a good-sized walk; a pond in the centre facilitated irrigation; and at the further end an arbour of yews, with a large stone scat, afforded rest and shelter. Flowers, intermixed with vegetables, gave the garden a gay and agreeable appearance; while the robust and contented gardener reminded me of the old man on the banks of the Galesus, whom Virgil has sung. We inquired whether they were not in the habit of receiving strangers. "Few come this way," replied the old man; "the place is little known; but if by chance any come, we never refuse such fare as our farm-yard and kitchen-garden afford." We begged something for dinner, and were presently served with new-laid eggs, vegetables, and salads, in a delicious arbour of honeysuckle behind the house. I never made so agreeable a meal; my heart expanded in the innocent enjoyment of this charming situation. I fondled the little children and showed my veneration for the old man. The young woman seemed pleased to have given us accommodation; there was some talk of two rooms which might be let to persons desirous of taking them for three months: and we had an idea of doing so. This delightful intention was never destined to be realised; nor have I ever again revisited Ville Bonne.
About this time Madame Phlipon's health began gradually to decline. She grew more serious and taciturn, and stirred less from home than formerly. Grief and anxiety may also have helped the ravages of disease. For her husband had insensibly begun to neglect his business, to go frequently abroad and to have fits of irritability and ill-temper, which his wife bore with invariable patience and good-humour. If they happened to differ on any subject, although she was his superior in every respect, she gave up her own opinion with the greatest willingness for the sake of domestic peace. So that her daughter never suspected till she was grown up that her mother's life might not possibly be as smooth as it appeared on the surface. When she was older, she often noticed her
