'
But the clouds of smoke that defile the land, the shrieking of steam,
and the perpetual, terrible grinding of iron against iron (sounds which
our little children grow up not to heed) are part of a system which
enables Mr. Ruskin, one day to address a crowd in the theatre of the
British Institution, and on the next--or the next but one--to utter this
lament on the banks of Lake Leman. His remarks, with which so many will
sympathise, lose point and consequence from the fact of his own rapid
translation from one place to another, and from the advantages _we_ gain
by his travelling on the wings of steam. And there is a certain
consolation in the knowledge that in the days when the waters of Geneva
were of 'purest blue,' the accommodation for travellers at the old
hostelries was less favourable to peace of mind.
[Illustration]
CHAPTER X.
_THE VALLEY OF THE SEINE._
In the fruitful hills that border the river Seine, and form part of the
great watershed of Lower Normandy, Nature has poured forth her
blessings; and her daughters, who are here lightly sketched, dispense
her bounties.
It is a pleasant thing to pass homeward through this 'food-producing'
land--to go leisurely from town to town, and see something more of
country life in Normandy--to see the laden orchards, the cattle upon the
hills, and the sloping fields of corn.
Pages:
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135