90
own pleasure, but also going to visit his distinguished friendM. Mdtrail, ex-Maire of Aviernoz (the owner of two of the'glacieres). The mercury at once went up to set fair; and itwas remembered that there were eggs in the house. Justat this moment one of the farm labourers came in to get his;breakfast, and, walking up to the table, took hold of the loaf:our host at once checked him, and bade him cut from theinside of the slice ,—shewing that he held the man perhaps‘ something better than his dog,’ but only a very ‘ little dearerthan his horse.’
So there are social distinctions even in Alpine Arcadias, anda ‘below the salt’ in a Savoyard homestead. A little moretalk, and a laugh at his mistake about our professions, whichhe frankly confessed, led to his volunteering to join us for theday; during which he catechized us severely about Englandand the English Church , shewing by his questions that thepopular notions of it among the Roman Catholics of the Alpsare, that its doctrines are on a par with those of Renan, and itsrites and ceremonies with those of the Quakers .
At Aviernoz we were enthusiastically welcomed by M. Md-trail, and M. Rosset, the village schoolmaster. After a fewminutes spent in necessary preparations, we set off for theglacieres : these are all situated in a range of limestone moun-tains which rises steeply immediately behind the village to aheight of about 6000 feet above the sea, and separates thebasin of the Arve from the Lake of Annecy . Two belong,together with a considerable quantity of corn-land near thevillage and of rich pasturage on the mountains, to our friend,who nevertheless lives in a small cottage, which, for absenceof furniture and presence of dirt, could not easily be matchedin England. As the cattle were a la montagne, we had no needto carry much provision : bread, however, was essential, as thatin the chalets only existed in the form of pain noir, which is ashard and dry as a pumice-stone, and about as digestible to an