382 



CHAPTER XXXYI. 



A STRANGE EXPERIENCE. 



The late autumn of the year 18 — found us in the 

 Grand Duchy of Luxemburg. Driven by that spirit 

 of unrest which seizes in more mature years those 

 whom occupation — or, indeed, fancy — has obhged to 

 ''move on" every few months in their younger days, 



we had reached the little town of F , and, 



thankful to the chance that enabled us to enjoy its 

 lovely surroundings, we had made a considerable 

 halt at its little quiet hotel. 



Whether the guiding motive was the utter absence 

 of any other suggestion for hybernation, or the chance 

 of wild -boar shooting held out to me (see chapter 

 xxxi.), or some other now- forgotten reason impelled 

 us, I do not remember ; but certain it is we decided 

 to look for winter quarters in the neighbourhood. 

 After some fruitless inquiries we found them. 



The noble family who once occupied the old 

 castle, whose grey ruins still frown down on the 



town of F , has practically disappeared. Their 



eyrie has been a ruin for a couple of hundred years, 

 but early in the eighteenth century they had built 

 a chateau just at the gate of the old town. This 

 chdteau was at the time of our visit in possession 



