the market-place, to the amount of 20,000 francs. One
fellow, now residing at Montelimart, had the good taste to select for
his share the dressing-glass and writing-table known as those of Mad. de
Sevigne. The castle, which they set on fire, continued burning for two
or three days: yet such was the solidity and goodness of the masonry,
that an imposing mass still remains, sufficient to give an idea of what
it must have once been.

"Qualem te dicam bonam
Antehac fuisse, tales cum sint reliquiae!"

As the terrace remains uninjured, and many of the walls are still
perfect, the castle might be rendered again habitable at a comparatively
reasonable expense. But the Count de Muy is seventy, has no children,
and has lost 25,000 pounds per annum by the revolution; a combination of
circumstances not very favourable to the spirit of improvement. "C'est
la," said Peyrol, pointing out a small house at the foot of the terrace,
"c'est la que demeure l'homme d'affaires de M. le Comte; il y vient tous
les ans pour peu de jours; moi je lui fais son petit morceau; et souvent
je le vois se promener sur cette belle terrasse, les larmes aux yeux;
c'est que Monsieur aimait passionnement ce beau chateau. Ah, mon Dieu!
ca me fait pleurer; moi qui ai tout perdu; ma place, mon bon maitre, et
puis je gagne le pain ici avec beaucoup de peine: cette pauvre ville est
abimee; nous avons perdu tous nos droits, notre bailliage, notre cour de
justice, tout, tout--" &c. Our host had apparently imbibed all his
master's enthusiastic respect for the house of Grignan; for, finding
that we had purposely deviated from our route to behold the residence of
Mad. de Sevigne, his delight and loquacity appeared to know no bounds.
The space of years, and the succession of owners from the time of the
good Marquise and her son-in-law, to that of his own master, seemed to
have no place in his mind. He had her letters by heart, I believe, for
he quoted them with great volubility and correctness, a-propos to almost
every question which we asked; and seemed fairly to have worked himself,
by their perusal, into the idea that he had seen and waited on her.
"C'est ici qu'elle dormait; voila le cabinet ou elle ecrivait ses
lettres; c'est ici qu'elle prisait ses belles idees." Nothing indeed
could be more delightful, or more calculated to inspire fine ideas, than
the situation of the ruined boudoir into which he conducted us at these
words. It occupies one floor of a