30 JUNE IN FRAN CON I A. 



ners, ever succeed in retaining it undis- 

 turbed for any long time together. As a 

 class, they have learned to take the familiar 

 maxim, "Seeing is believing," with several 

 grains of allowance. With most of them, 

 it would be nearer the mark to say, Shoot- 

 ing is believing. 



My special errand at the lakes being thus 

 quickly disposed of, there was no reason why 

 I should not accompany my friend to the 

 summit. Lafayette gave us a cold reception. 

 We might have addressed him as Daniel 

 Webster, according to the time-worn story, 

 once addressed Mount Washington; but 

 neither of us felt oratorically inclined. In 

 truth, after the outrageous heats of the past 

 few days, it seemed good to be thrashing our 

 arms and crouching behind a boulder, while 

 we devoured our luncheon, and between 

 times studied the landscape. For my own 

 part, I experienced a feeling of something 

 like wicked satisfaction; as if I had been 

 wronged, and all at once had found a way 

 of balancing the score. The diapensia was 

 already quite out of bloom, although only 

 nine days before we had thought it hardly 

 at its best. It is one of the prettiest and 



