e. On either side of us
the rose hedges were in full bloom; the scent, mingled with the
fragrance of innumerable violets, was truly intoxicating. When we
alighted at a place dappled with sunlight that filtered through the
trees, and cooled by a spouting fountain where girls in colored gowns
laughed and chattered as they plied their trade of lace-making, we
felt that our lines had indeed fallen in pleasant places."

In this charming spot it seemed for a time that their pursuing fate
had forgotten them, and for the greater part of a year happiness sat
by their fireside. Louis always referred to this time as the happiest
period of his life, and in a letter to his old friend in California,
Jules Simoneau, he says: "Now I am in clover, only my health a mere
ruined temple; the ivy grows along its shattered front, otherwise I
have no wish that is not fulfilled; a beautiful large garden, a fine
view of plain, sea, and mountain; a wife that suits me down to the
ground, and a barrel of good Beaujolais."

Under these happy conditions much work was accomplished, and, to the
great pride and satisfaction of both husband and wife, they were at
last able to live upon his earnings. Their almost idyllic life here is
described by Mrs. Stevenson:

"My husband was then engaged on _Prince Otto_, begun so long ago in
the little rose-covered cottage in Oakland, California. Our life in
the chalet was of the utmost simplicity, and with the help of one
untrained maid I did the cooking myself. The kitchen was so narrow
that I was in continual danger of being scorched by the range on one
side, and at the same time impaled by the saucepan hooks on the
other, and when we had a guest at dinner our maid had to pass in the
dishes over our heads, as our chairs touched the walls of the
dining-room, leaving her no passageway. The markets of Hyeres were
well supplied, and the wine both good and cheap, so we were able, for
the first time, to live comfortably within our limited income.

"My husband usually wrote from the early morning until noon, while my
household duties occupied the same time. In the afternoon the work of
the morning was read aloud, and we talked it over, criticising and
suggesting improvements. This finished, we walked in our garden,
listened to the birds, and looked at our trees and flowers; or,
accompanied by our Scotch terrier, wandered up the hill to the ruins
of the castle. After dinner we talked or read aloud, and on rare
occasi