X Chamois- Hunting 539 



all the warmth of the honest Tyrolese heart. The 

 people had been in great distress about us, — about 

 me, at least — as they supposed that I must, of 

 necessity, have broken my neck. I suspect, indeed, 

 that they never thought that I would really go, and 

 were rather astonished when they woke and found 

 me gone. As for Joseph, it was his certain fate, if 

 not now, another time. But they rejoiced in their 

 mistake ; and with my hat crowned with flowers by 

 many a rosy finger, and my hands tingling from 

 many a giant squeeze, and perhaps my heart too, a 

 little, from more than one gentle one, I hung my 

 gemse on a nail outside the door for inspection, and 

 seated myself once again in the little chamber look- 

 ing out upon the torrent and the cliff. 



I cannot linger over the simple pleasures of that 

 evening; as Shallow says, * the heart is all.' 'Jenkins 

 of the Post' may love to record his reminiscences of 

 a ball at Almack's, or an ' aesthetic tea ' at the 

 Countess of Cruche Casse's ; but such remembrances 

 always bring as much pain as pleasure to me, 

 making me yearn for those free days spent among 

 the mountains and the torrents and the happy, 

 single - hearted mountaineers, far from the cares, 

 troubles, and tribulations of ' our highly civilised 

 society.' 



And now, most patient reader, are you there still ? 

 Farewell ! I have tried to give you some faint 

 description of the indescribable, and have of course 

 failed. But take at least my advice, and a knap- 



