The　door　of　the　Museum　stands　ajar；　and　a　vigilant　custodian；　with　the　usual　batch　of　photographs　on　his　mind；　peeps　out　at　you　disapprovingly　while　you　linger　opposite；　before　the　charming　portal　of　Saint　Trophimus；　which　you　may　look　at　for　nothing。　When　you　succumb　to　the　silent　influence　of　his　eye；　and　go　over　to　visit　his　collection；　you　find　yourself　in　a　desecrated　church；　in　which　a　variety　of　ancient　objects；　disinterred　in　Arlesian　soil；　have　been　ar…　ranged　without　any　pomp。　　The　best　of　these；　I　be…　lieve；　were　found　in　the　ruins　of　the　theatre。　　Some　of　the　most　curious　of　them　are　early　Christian　sar…　cophagi；　exactly　on　the　pagan　model；　but　covered　with　rude　yet　vigorously　wrought　images　of　the　apostles；　and　with　illustrations　of　scriptural　history。　　Beauty　of　the　highest　kind；　either　of　conception　or　of　execu…　tion；　is　absent　from　most　of　the　Roman　fragments；　which　belong　to　the　taste　of　a　late　period　and　a　provincial　civilization。　　But　a　gulf　divides　them　from　the　bristling　little　imagery　of　the　Christian　sarcophagi；　in　which；　at　the　same　time；　one　detects　a　vague　emulation　of　the　rich　examples　by　which　their　authors　were　surrounded。　　There　is　a　certain　element　of　style　in　all　the　pagan　things；　there　is　not　a　hint　of　it　in　the　early　Christian　relics；　among　which；　according　to　M。　Joanne；　of　the　Guide；　are　to　be　found　more　fine　sarcophagi　than　in　any　collection　but　that　of　St。　John　Lateran。　　In　two　or　three　of　the　Roman　fragments　there　is　a　noticeable　distinction；　principally　in　a　charming　bust　of　a　boy；　quite　perfect；　with　those　salient　eyes　that　one　sees　in　certain　antique　busts；　and　to　which　the　absence　of　vision　in　the　marble　mask　gives　a　look；　often　very　touching；　as　of　a　baffled　effort　to　see；　also　in　the　head　of　a　woman；　found　in　the　ruins　of　the　theatre；　who；　alas！　has　lost　her　nose；　and　whose　noble；　simple　contour；　barring　this　deficiency；　recalls　the　great　manner　of　the　Venus　of　Milo。　　There　are　various　rich　architectural　fragments　which　in…　dicate　that　that　edifice　was　a　very　splendid　affair。　This　little　Museum　at　Arles；　in　short；　is　the　most　Ro…　man　thing　I　know　of；　out　of　Rome。
  XXXII。
  I　find　that　I　declared　one　evening；　in　a　little　journal　I　was　keeping　at　that　time；　that　I　was　weary　of　writing　（I　was　probably　very　sleepy）；　but　that　it　was　essential　I　should　make　some　note　of　my　visit　to　Les　Baux。　　I　must　have　gone　to　sleep　as　soon　as　I　had　recorded　this　necessity；　for　I　search　my　small　diary　in　vain　for　any　account　of　that　enchanting　spot。　　I　have　nothing　but　my　memory　to　consult；　…　a　memory　which　is　fairly　good　in　regard　to　a　general　impression；　but　is　terribly　infirm　in　the　matter　of　details　and　items。　　We　knew　in　advance；　my　companion　and　　I　that　Les　Baus　was　a　pearl　of　picturesqueness；　for　had　we　not　read　as　much　in　the　handbook　of　Murray；　who　has　the　testimony　of　an　English　nobleman　as　to　its　attractions？　　We　also　knew　that　it　lay　some　miles　from　Aries；　on　the　crest　of　the　Alpilles；　the　craggy　little　mountains　which；　as　I　stood　on　the　breezy　plat…　form　of　Beaucaire；　formed　to　my　eye　a　charming；　if　somewhat　remote；　background　to　Tarascon；　this　as…　surance　having　been　given　us　by　the　landlady　of　the　inn　at　Arles；　of　whom　we　hired　a　rather　lumbering　conveyance。　　The　weather　was　not　promising；　but　it　proved　a　good　day　for　the　mediaeval　Pompeii；　a　gray；　melancholy；　moist；　but　rainless；　or　almost　rainless　day；　with　nothing　in　the　sky　to　flout；　as　the　poet　says；　the　dejected　and　pulverized　past。　　The　drive　itself　was　charming；　for　there　is　an　inexhaustible　sweetness　in　the　gray…green　landscape　of　Provence。　It　is　never　absolutely　flat；　and　yet　is　never　really　ambitious；　and　is　full　both　of　entertainment　and　re…　pose。　　It　is　in　constant　undulation；　and　the　bareness　of　the　soil　lends　itself　easily　to　outline　and　profile。　When　I　say　the　bareness；　I　mean　the　absence　of　woods　and　hedges。　　It　blooms　with　heath　and　scented　shrubs　and　stunted　olive；　and　the　white　rock　shining　through　the　scattered　herbage　has　a　brightness　which　answers　to　the　brightness　of　the　sky。　　Of　course　it　needs　the　sunshine；　for　all　southern　countries　look　a　little　false　under　the　ground　glass　of　incipient　bad　weather。　　This　was　the　case　on　the　day　of　my　pil…　grimage　to　Les　Baux。　　Nevertheless；　I　was　as　glad　to　keep　going　as　I　was　to　arrive；　and　as　I　went　it　seemed　to　me　that　true　happiness　would　consist　in　wandering　through　such　a　land　on　foot；　on　September　afternoons；　when　one　might　stretch　one's　self　on　the　warm　ground　in　some　shady　hollow；　and　listen　to　the　hum　of　bees　and　the　whistle　of　melancholy　shepherds；　for　in　Provence　the　shepherds　whistle　to　their　flocks。　I　saw　two　or　three　of　them；　in　the　course　of　this　drive　to　Les　Baux；　meandering　about；　looking　behind；　and　calling　upon　the　sheep　in　this　way　to　follow；　which　the　sheep　always　did；　very　promptly；　with　ovine　unanimity。　　Nothing　is　more　picturesque　than　to　see　a　slow　shepherd　threading　his　way　down　one　of　the　winding　paths　on　a　hillside；　with　his　flock　close　be…　hind　him；　necessarily　expanded；　yet　keeping　just　at　his　heels；　bending　and　twisting　as　it　goes；　and　looking　rather　like　the　tail　of　a　dingy　comet。
  About　four　miles　from　Arles；　as　you　drive　north…　ward　toward　the　Alpilles；　of　which　Alphonse　Daudet　has　spoken　so　often；　and；　as　he　might　say；　so　in…　timately；　stand　on　a　hill　that　overlooks　the　road　the　very　considerable　ruins　of　the　abbey　of　Mont…　majour；　one　of　the　innumerable　remnants　of　a　feudal　and　ecclesiastical　（as　well　as　an　architectural）　past　that　one　encounters　in　the　South　of　France；　remnants　which；　it　must　be　confessed；　tend　to　introduce　a　cer…　tain　confusion　and　satiety　into　the　passive　mind　of　the　tourist。　　Montmajour；　however；　is　very　impressive　and　interesting；　the　only　trouble　with　it　is　that；　unless　you　have　stopped　and　retumed　to　Arles；　you　see　it　in　memory　over　the　head　of　Les　Baux；　which　is　a　much　more　absorbing　picture。　　A　part　of　the　mass　of　buildings　（the　monastery）　dates　only　from　the　last　century；　and　the　stiff　architecture　of　that　period　does　not　lend　itself　very　gracefully　to　desolation：　it　looks　too　much　as　if　it　had　been　burnt　down　the　year　before。　　The　monastery　was　demolished　during　the　Revolution；　and　it　injures　a　little　the　effect　of　the　very　much　more　ancient　fragments　that　are　connected　with　it。　　The　whole　place　is　on　a　great　scale；　it　was　a　rich　and　splendid　abbey。　　The　church；　a　vast　basilica　of　the　eleventh　century；　and　of　the　noblest　proportions；　is　virtually　intact；　I　mean　as　regards　its　essentials；　for　the　details　have　completely　vanished。　The　huge　solid　shell　is　full　of　expression；　it　looks　as　if　it　had　been　hollowed　out　by　the　sincerity　of　early　faith；　and　it　opens　into　a　cloister　as　impressive　as　itself。　　Wherever　one　goes；　in　France；　one　meets；　looking　backward　a　little；　the　spectre　of　the　great　Revolution；　and　one　meets　it　always　in　the　shape　of　the　destruction　of　something　beautiful　and　precious。　To　make　us　forgive　it　at　all；　how　much　it　must　also　have　destroyed　that　was　more　hateful　than　itself！　Beneath　the　church　of　Montmajour　is　a　most　extra…　ordinary　crypt；　almost　as　big　as　the　edifice　above　it；　and　making　a　complete　subterranean　temple；　sur…　rounded　with　a　circular　gallery；　or　deambulatory；　which　expands　it　intervals　into　five　square　chapels。　There　are　other　things；　of　which　I　have　but　a　con…　fused　memory：　a　great　fortified　keep；　a　queer　little　primitive　chapel；　hollowed　out　of　the　rock；　beneath　these　later　structures；　and　recommended　to　the　visitor's　attention　as　the　confessional　of　Saint　Tro…　phimus；　who　shares　with　so　many　worthies　the　glory　of　being　the　first　apostle　of　the　Gauls。　　Then　there　is　a　strange；　small　church；　of　the　dimmest　antiquity；　standing　at　a　distance　from　the　other　buildings。　　I　remember　that　after　we　had　let　ourselves　down　a　good　many　steepish　places　to　visit　crypts　and　con…　fessionals；　we　walked　across　a　field　to　this　archaic　cruciform　edifice；　and　went　thence　to　a　point　further　down　the　road；　where　our　carriage　was　awaiting　us。　　The　chapel　of　the　Holy　Cross；　as　it　is　called；　is　classed　among　the　historic　monuments　of　France；　and　I　read　in　a　queer；　rambling；　ill…written　book　which　I　picked　up　at　Avignon；　and　in　which　the　author；　M。　Louis　de　Lainbel；　has　buried　a　great　deal　of　curious　information　on　the　subject　of　Provence；　under　a　style　inspiring　little　confidence；　that　the　〃delicieuse　chapelle　de　Sainte…Croix〃　is　a　〃veritable　bijou　artistique。〃　　He　speaks　of　〃a　piece　of　lace　in　stone；〃　which　runs　from　one　end　of　the　building　to　the　other；　but　of　which　I　am　obliged　to　confess　that　I　have　no　recollection。　　I　retain；　however；　a　suf…　ficiently　clear　impression　of　the　little　superannuated　temple；　with　its　four　apses　and　its　perceptible　odor　of　antiquity；　…　the　odor　of　the　eleventh　century。
  The　ruins　of　Les　Baux　remain　quite　indistinguish…　able；　even　when　you　are　directly　beneath　them；　at　the　foot　of　the　charming　little　Alpilles；　which　mass　themselves　with　a　kind　of　delicate　ruggedness。　　Rock　and　ruin　have　been　so　welded　together　by　the　con…　fusions　of　time；　that　as　you　approach　it　from　behind　…　that　is；　from　the　direction　of　Arles　…　the　place　presents　simply　a　general　air　of　cragginess。　　Nothing　can　be　prettier　than　the　crags　of　Provence；　they　are　beautifully　modelled；　as　painters　say；　and　th