surer sign of advancing age in a man
than a growing preference for the society of very young girls--mere
youth _per se_, as the Professor himself would say," said Mrs. Clary to
me in an undertone.

Meanwhile the Professor, unconscious of this judgment, was telling Janet
that she was standing upon the site of the old Roman station "Lumone,"
mentioned in Antony's Itinerary, and that the tomb was that of a
patrician family.

Mrs. Trescott was impressed by this. She said it was "a paean moment" for
us all, if we would but realize it; and she plucked a fern in
remembrance.

* * * * *

One bright day not long after this we went to Mentone's sister city,
Roccabruna, a little town looking as if it were hooked on to the side
of the mountain. As we passed through the "old town" on our donkeys we
met a wedding-party, walking homeward from the church, in the middle of
the street. The robust bride, calm and majestic, moved at the head of
the procession with her father, her white muslin gown sweeping the
pavement behind her. Probably it would have been considered undignified
to lift it. The father, a small, wizened old man, looked timorous, and
the bridegroom, next behind with the bride's mother, still more so, even
the quantity of brave red satin cravat he wore failing to give him a
martial air. Next came the relatives and friends, two and two, all the
gowns of the women sweeping out with dignity. In truth this seemed to be
the feature of the occasion, since at all other times their gowns were
either short or carefully held above the dust. There was no music, no
talking, hardly a smile. A christening party we had met the day before
was much more joyous, for then the smiling father and mother threw from
the carriage at intervals handfuls of sugar-plums and small copper
coins, which were scrambled for by a crowd of children, while the
gorgeously dressed baby was held up proudly at the window.

We were going first to Gorbio. The Gorbio Valley is charming. Of all the
valleys, the narrow Val de Menton is the loveliest for an afternoon
walk; but for longer excursions, and compared with the valleys of Carrei
and Borrigo, that of Gorbio is the most beautiful, principally because
there is more water in the stream, which comes sweeping and tumbling
over its bed of flat rock like the streams of the White Mountains,
whereas the so-called "torrents" of Carrei and Borrigo are generally but
wide, arid torrents