EASTER FESTIVAL. H 



the young people, they went in procession to 

 the place where a quantity of Easter eggs had 

 been distributed upon the ground. At a sig- 

 nal the runners separated, the one to pick up 

 the eggs according to a prescribed course, the 

 other to run to the next village and back 

 again. The victory was to the one who ac- 

 complished his task first, and he was pro- 

 claimed king of the feast. Hand in hand the 

 runners, followed as before by all their com- 

 panions, returned to join in the dance now 

 to take place before the house of Dr. Mayor. 

 After a time the festivities were interrupted 

 by a little address in patois from the first 

 musician, who concluded by announcing from 

 his platform a special dance in honor of the 

 family of Dr. Mayor. In this dance the fam- 

 ily with some of their friends and neighbors 

 took part, the young ladies dancing with 

 the peasant lads and the young gentlemen 

 with the girls of the village, while the rest 

 formed a circle to look on. 



Thus, between study and recreation, the four 

 years which Agassiz's father and mother in- 

 tended he should pass at Bienne drew to a 

 close. A yellow, time-worn sheet of foolscap, 

 on which during the last year of his school- 

 life he wrote his desiderata in the way of 



