d ranged, so that look where we will we
are feasted to our utmost capacity.

We have four small, but very neat, pretty rooms. Our floors are of
unpainted pine, as white and clean as possible. The room in which we
spend our time, and where I am now writing, I must fully set before
you.... Our centre table has had a nice new red cover put on it to-day,
with a vase of flowers; it holds all our books, and is the ornament of
the room. In front of the sofa is a red rug on which we say our prayers.
Over it is a picture, and over G.'s table is another. Out of the window
you see first a pretty little flower garden, then the valley dotted with
brown chalets, then the background of mountains. Behind the house you go
up a little winding path--and can go on forever without stopping if you
choose--along the sides of which flowers such as we cultivate at home
grow in profusion; you can't help picking them and throwing them away to
snatch a new handful. The brook takes its rise on this side, and runs
musically along as you ascend. Yesterday we all went to church at nine
and a half o'clock, and had our first experience of French preaching,
and I was relieved to find myself understanding whole sentences here
and there. And now I need not, I suppose, wind up by saying we are in
a charming spot. All we want, as far as this world goes, is health
and strength with which to enjoy all this beauty and all this sweet
retirement, and these, I trust, it will give us in time. Isabella "wears
like gold." She is everything I hoped for, and from her there has not
been even a _tone_ of discomfort since we left. But my back aches and my
paper is full. We all send heaps of love to you all and long to hear.

_August 10th._--We breakfast at eight on bread and honey, which is the
universal Swiss breakfast, dine at one, and have tea at seven. I usually
sew and read and study all the forenoon. After dinner we take our Alpen-
stocks and go up behind the house--a bit of mountain-climbing which
makes me realise that I am no longer a young girl. I get only so high,
and then have to come back and lie down. George and Annie beat me all
to pieces with their exploits. I do not believe we could have found
anywhere in the world a spot better adapted to our needs. How _you_
would enjoy it! I perfectly yearn to show you these mountains and all
this green valley. The views I send will give you a very good idea of
it, however. The smaller chalet in the print is ours. In a