Béarn and the Pyrenees | Page 2

Blanche--Arrival at Falaise--Guibray--Castle of Falaise--The little
Recess--Arlette--The Father--The Infant Hero--The Uncle--Arlette's
Tears--Her Reception.
CHAPTER II.
Prince Arthur--Want of Gallantry Punished--The Recreant Sow--The
Rocks of Noron--La Grande Eperonnière--Le Camp-ferme--Antiquities
of Falaise--Alençon--Norman Caps--Geese--Le Mans--Tomb of
Bérangère--Cathedral--Ancient Remains--Streets--The Veiled Figure.

CHAPTER III.
Tomb of Bérangère--Wives of Coeur de Lion--Tombs--Abbey
Churches--Château of Le Mans--De Craon--The Spectre of Le
Mans--The Vendéeans--Madame de la Roche-Jaquelin--A Woman's
Perils--Disasters of the Vendéeans--Henri--Chouans.
CHAPTER IV.
The Museum of Le Mans--Venus--Mummy--Geoffrey-le-Bel--His
Costume--Matilda--Scarron--Hélie de la Flèche--Rufus--The White
Knight.
CHAPTER V.
Lude--Saumur Revisited--The Garden--La Petite Voisine--The Retired
Militaire--Les Pierres Couvertes--Les Petites Pierres--Loudun--Urbain
Grandier--Richelieu--The Nuns--The Victim--The Fly--The Malle
Poste--The Dislodged Serpents.
CHAPTER VI.
Poitiers--Battles--The Armies--King John of France--The Young
Warrior--Hôtel des Vreux--Amphitheatre--Blossac--The Great
Stone--The Scholars--Museum--The Demon's Stone--Grande Gueule.
CHAPTER VII.
Notre Dame--The Keys--The Miracle--Procession--St.
Radegonde--Tomb of the Saint--Foot-print--Little Loubette--The Count
Outwitted--The Cordelier--Late Justice--The Templars.
CHAPTER VIII.
Château de la Fée--King René--The Miniatures--The Post-Office
Functionary--Originality--The English Bank-note--St. Porchaire--The
Dead Child--Montierneuf--Guillaume Guy Geoffroy--Thomas à

Becket--Choir of Angels--Relics--The Armed Hermit--A Saint--The
Repudiated Queen--Elionore--The Bold Priest--Lay.
CHAPTER IX.
Melusine--Lusignan--Trou de la Fée--The Legend--Male
Curiosity--The Discovery--The Fairy's Shrieks--The
Chronicler--Geoffrey of the Great Tooth--Jaques Coeur--Royal
Gratitude--Enemies--Jean du Village--Wedding--The Bride--The
Tragedy of Mauprier--The Garden--The Shepherdess--The
Walnut-Gatherers--La Gâtine--St. Maixant--Niort--Madame de
Maintenon--Enormous Caps--Chamois Leather--Duguesclin--The
Dame de Plainmartin--The Sea.
CHAPTER X.
La Rochelle--Les Trois Chandeliers--Oysters--Bathing
Establishment--Gaiety--Military Discipline--Curious Arcades--Story of
Auffrédy.
CHAPTER XI.
Towers--Religion--Maria Belandelle--Storm--Protestant
Retreat--Solemn Dinners--"Half-and-half"--Go to sleep!--The
Brewery--Gas Establishment--Château of La Font--The Mystery
explained--Triumph of Scenery over Appetite--Slave Trade--Charles le
Bien Servi--Liberality of Louis-Philippe--Guiton--House of Le Maire
Guiton--The Fleets--The Fight--The Mayor and the Governor.
CHAPTER XII.
Rochefort--The Curious Bonne--Americanisms--Convicts--The
Charente--"Tulipes"--Taillebourg--Henry the Third--St. Louis--False
Security--Romegoux--Puytaillé
CHAPTER XIII.

Saintes--Roman Arch of Triumph--Gothic Bridge--The Cours--Ruined
City--Cathedral--Coligny--Ruined Palace--St.
Eutrope--Amphitheatre--Legend of Ste. Eustelle--The Prince of
Babylon--Fête--The Côteau--Ste. Marie
CHAPTER XIV.
Frère Chrétien--Utility of Custom-house Search--Bold
Voyager--Pauillac--Blaye--The Gironde--Talbot--Vines--The
Landes--Phantom of King Arthur--The Witch-finder--The
Landes--Wreckers
CHAPTER XV.
Ports--Divona--Bordeaux--Quinconces--Allées--First
Impression--Chartrons--Bahutier--Bacalan--Quays--White Guide--Ste.
Croix--St. Michel--St. André--Pretty Figure--Pretty Women--Palais
Gallien--Black Prince's Son, Edward.
CHAPTER XVI.
The Garonne--The Lord of Langoyran--Miracle of the Mule--Castle of
the Four Sons of Aymon--The Aged Lover--Gavaches--The
Franchimans--Count Raymond--Flying Bridges--The Miller of
Barbaste--The Troubadour Count--The Count de la Marche--The
Rochellaises--Eugénie and her Song.
CHAPTER XVII.
Agen--La Belle Esther--St. Caprais--The Little Cherubs--Zoé at the
Fountain--The Hill--Le Gravier--Jasmin, the Poet-Barber--The
Metaphor--Las Papillotas--Françonnette--Jasmin's Lines on the Old
Language--The Shepherd and the Gascon Poet--Return to
Agen--Jasmin and the King of France--Jasmin and the Queen of
England.

BÉARN AND THE PYRENEES. VOL. I.
CHAPTER I.
HONFLEUR--DEJAZET--THE SAILOR PRINCE--LE
MARI--LISIEUX--LA CROIX BLANCHE--ARRIVAL AT
FALAISE--GUIBRAY--CASTLE OF FALAISE--THE LITTLE
RECESS--ARLETTE--THE FATHER--THE INFANT HERO--THE
UNCLE--ARLETTE'S TEARS--HER RECEPTION.
WITHIN ten leagues of the interesting town of Caen, where William of
Normandy and his queen lie buried, the traveller, who devotes a short
space of time to a search after the picturesque, may, without straying
too far a-field, find what he desires in the clean, bright, gay town of
Falaise, where the hero of the Conquest was born.
From Southampton to Havre it requires only twelve hours to cross, and,
as was the case with myself and my companions, when, at the end of
August 1842, we began a journey, whose end was "to be" the
mountains which divide France from Spain, if the city of parrots is
already familiar to the tourist, he has only to take the steam-packet,
which in four hours will land him at Caen, or enter the boat which
crosses the fine bold river to Honfleur. In an hour you arrive at
Honfleur, after a very pleasant voyage, which the inhabitants of Havre
are extremely fond of taking: a diligence starts from the quay, and
proceeds through an avenue of a league's length between beautiful hills,
orchards, and corn-fields, to the strange old town of Lisieux, to which
we proceeded.
One of our fellow-travellers in the diligence was a smart, lively looking
young woman, whose resemblance to the celebrated actress Dejazet,
whom we had very lately seen in London, was so striking as to be quite
remarkable. Her tone of voice, her air and manner, as well as her
features, reminded us strongly of the artiste whose warm reception in
England, where we are supposed to be correct even to fastidiousness,
has not a little amused the Parisians at our expense. Whatever may be
the objections to Dejazet's style, certain it is that her imitation of the

manners of the class of grisettes and peasants is inimitable; not a shade,
not a tone, is forgotten, and the truth of her representations is proved at
every step you take in France, either in the provinces or in Paris.
Our little talkative companion had much to relate of herself and her
husband, whom she described as a piece of perfection; he had just
returned from a whaling expedition, after several years' absence, and
they were now on their way to Lisieux to visit her relations, and give
him a little shooting. He had brought back, according to her account, a
mine of wealth; and, as she had incurred no debts during his