COSTEBELLE 349 



cially the case on leaving Lyons, where the railway 

 officials, after having put our luggage (containing our 

 circular notes) in the railway station, locked the 

 doors of the latter in our faces, when the police and 

 military officials hurried us down the hill again in the 

 town (in the rudest of ways) till the arrival of the 

 Kussians nearly an hour after our train was timed to 

 depart. We had no doubt that our hand baggage had 

 all been carried off in our railway carriage without us 

 and without labels ; but on at last getting into the 

 station found that our train had not started. 



This is one of the most charming places I have 

 ever seen. The hotel is situated on the top of a hill 

 which slopes for a mile to the sea, and which is thickly 

 clothed with pine and olive woods in all directions. 

 The climate admits of our sitting out of doors without 

 overcoats or shawls till sunset, amid the most won- 

 derful profusion of aromas I have ever met with. 



To the Dean of Christ Church. 



Costebelle : November 28, 1893. 



My dear Dean, In the firmament of my friend- 

 ships there is no such star as yourself, and I find it 

 belongs to them all that the darker and the colder 

 the night becomes, the more brightly do they shine. 



It is quite certain that ' the South has not yet 

 .rendered its full service,' inasmuch as it has not 

 rendered me any service at all. If anything I am 

 worse than when I left Oxford. My muscular power, 

 indeed, has somewhat improved, but my nervous 

 exhaustion seems to be growing upon me, week by 



