250 A MONTH IN THE FORESTS OF FRANCE. 



To proceed, however, with my narrative. The 

 hour at last arrived when I was to bid adieu to my 

 hospitable French reception, and M. d'Anchald 

 insisted on sending me to Nevers, more than twenty 

 miles, in his carriage, behind the two splendid white 

 mares. We started on a Wednesday morning, in 

 good time for me to dine and sleep at the Hotel de 

 France, at Nevers, that night, and take the rail to 

 Paris on the following morning, transact some busi- 

 ness I had to do in Paris that evening and the 

 following morning, and then start by rail again for 

 the packet to England from Havre on the Friday 

 night. Such, at least, were my intentions ; how un- 

 comfortably they were thwarted remains to be seen. 

 On leaving the chateau my two little white terriers, 

 Nipper and Tacks, and myself amused ourselves 

 with looking from the windows at the country ; and 

 in getting out of the carriage to walk up the hills, 

 one of the white mares, I regret to say, fell down 

 and broke her knees. We reached Nevers in ex- 

 cellent time ; and I made a good dinner, waited on 

 by a very attentive gar^on, who after dinner pro- 

 duced the Crimean medal assigned to the French 

 soldiers by our gracious Queen, which perhaps ac- 

 counted in some measure for the pains he took to 

 make me comfortable. I had great fun in making 



