36 GOLDEN DAYS 



tired fisherman. Good inns with bedrooms 

 1 was going to say — there are none. And 

 yet I know one. Above its entrance is an 

 ancient sign, braced fast against the wall. 

 Its Breton lettering is spaced on a faded 

 ground of dull gold and blue. It runs : 



" Inn, by permission of the King and the Parlia- 

 ment : 



The Three Wise Men : 



Dinner for foot travellers, four sols : 



Lodging for foot travellers, six sols." 



As my pen writes I almost feel my friend's 

 hand plucking at my sleeve. " For 

 heaven's sake don't tell them that ! It's 

 more than likely that the inn is now pulled 

 down — and ..." Of course, I know ; 

 to-day, most probably, you can buy the 

 signboard at Quimper. You will find it 

 in a curiosity shop kept by a Jew. (Re- 

 member that the characters are in Breton, 

 spaced on a ground of dull gold and faded 

 blue.) He'll ask a thousand francs. Offer 

 him forty: should he accept, why, then 

 the signboard is a faked one. " The three 

 w^ise men" still stand. 



We must explore the inland part of the 

 country to find its best fishing, and the 



