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 jKitois 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 



