374 PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS 07 



nance. At Nice the railway came to an end, and a 

 carriage was needed to take us over the hills to Men- 

 tone. We had a vigorous altercation at a cab-stand, 

 where gross extortion was attempted. We retired to a 

 respectable hotel, the courteous proprietor of which, 

 after some waiting, provided us with the required 

 vehicle. The lights of Monaco shone below us as we 

 slowly crept over the hills. From the summit we 

 trotted down to Mentone, reaching it at two o'clock in 

 the morning. He was expected, and a loving friend 

 was on the alert to welcome him. The reception was 

 such as a younger man might envy. It was indeed 

 plain to me that the storm-tossed barque had reached 

 a haven in which it could safely rest. 



I allowed myself a few pleasant excursions in the 

 neighbourhood. We all ascended to the high-perched 

 village of Sant' Agnese, whence, though strenuously 

 opposed by Carlyle, I continued the ascent to the sum- 

 mit of the ' Aiguille.' This is the highest peak of the 

 region, The sun was setting as I reached the top, 

 flooding the Maritime Alps and the bays and promon- 

 tories of the Mediterranean with blood-red light. It 

 was a grand scene. We dined with the accomplished 

 Lady Marian Alford. The present Lord Brownlow, as 

 Mr. Gust, was there at the time, and a finer speci- 

 men of physical manhood I thought I had never 

 before seen. After dinner a discussion arose about the 

 sun as the physical basis of life. Carlyle's usual dislike 

 to anything savouring of materialism showed itself, 

 while I, with my usual freedom, told him that he was 

 sure to come to grief if he questioned the sun's capacity 

 as regards either light or life. In the morning, at an 

 early hour, I found him vigorously marching along the 

 fringe of the Mediterranean. In the afternoon we had 

 a long drive on the Corniche Eoad. The zenilhal 



