ale. Everybody cannot buy land. What do the others do?"

"Lock the money up in their chests."

"But do you never put your money in the foreign funds?"

"Yes, the rich do and those who understand it. We have a few very rich
people in Switzerland, but, generally speaking, the people do not like
to part with their money, and they keep it by them."

"I was told by a Frenchman at Basle, that there was a great deal of
bullion lying idle in Switzerland?"

"He told you very true, sir; there is an enormous quantity of it, if
collected together. Those are Jews," continued he, pointing to a
_char-a-banc_ passing.

"Have you many of those in Switzerland? I should think not."

"No, sir, we do not allow them. One or two families are perhaps
permitted in a large town, but no more. We are a small country, and if
we were to allow the Jews to settle here, we should soon have too large
a population to support. By their customs, they may marry at any age,
and they never go into the field, and work at the plough."

"But may not you marry at any age, and when you please?"

"No, sir; we have good laws in that respect, and it prevents the
population increasing too fast. I belong to a commune (parish); if I
wish to marry, I must first prove that all my debts are paid, and all my
father's debts, and then the commune will permit the Cure to marry me."

"All your father's debts as well as your own?"

"That is to say, all the debts he may have incurred to the commune.
Suppose my father had been a poor man and unable to work, the commune
would have let him want for nothing; but in supplying him they would
have incurred an expense, that must be repaid by his family before any
of the sons are allowed to marry. In the same way, when my father died,
although he received no assistance from the commune, he left little or
nothing. The commune clothed and educated me till I was able to gain my
own livelihood. Since I have done well, I have repaid the debt; I now
may marry if I choose."

"But cannot you evade this law?"

"No, sir. Suppose I was at Berne, and wished to marry a woman who
belonged to another commune as well as myself. The banns must be
published three times in my parish, three times in her parish, and three
times at Berne."

"But suppose you married in a foreign country?"

"If a Swiss marries in a foreign country, and has no debts to prevent
his marrying, he must write home to the heads of the commune, stating
hi