ly the final sentence need be added.
"Walking out into the balcony as I write, I am suddenly reminded, by the
sight of the Castle of Chillon glittering in the sunlight on the lake,
that I omitted to mention that object in my catalogue of the Rosemont
beauties. Please to put it in, like George Robins, in a line by itself."

[Illustration]

Regular evening walks of nine or ten miles were named in the same letter
(22nd of June) as having been begun;[111] and thoughts of his books were
already stirring in him. "An odd shadowy undefined idea is at work
within me, that I could connect a great battle-field somehow with my
little Christmas story. Shapeless visions of the repose and peace
pervading it in after-time; with the corn and grass growing over the
slain, and people singing at the plough; are so perpetually floating
before me, that I cannot but think there may turn out to be something
good in them when I see them more plainly. . . . I want to get Four Numbers
of the monthly book done here, and the Christmas book. If all goes well,
and nothing changes, and I can accomplish this by the end of November, I
shall run over to you in England for a few days with a light heart, and
leave Roche to move the caravan to Paris in the meanwhile. It will be
just the very point in the story when the life and crowd of that
extraordinary place will come vividly to my assistance in writing." Such
was his design; and, though difficulties not now seen started up which
he had a hard fight to get through, he managed to accomplish it. His
letter ended with a promise to tell me, when next he wrote, of the small
colony of English who seemed ready to give him even more than the usual
welcome. Two visits had thus early been paid him by Mr. Haldimand,
formerly a member of the English parliament, an accomplished man, who,
with his sister Mrs. Marcet (the well-known authoress), had long made
Lausanne his home. He had a very fine seat just below Rosemont, and his
character and station had made him quite the little sovereign of the
place. "He has founded and endowed all sorts of hospitals and
institutions here, and he gives a dinner to-morrow to introduce our
neighbours, whoever they are."

He found them to be happily the kind of people who rendered entirely
pleasant those frank and cordial hospitalities which the charm of his
personal intercourse made every one so eager to offer him. The dinner at
Mr. Haldimand's was followed by dinners from the guest