sset　fibres　alone　clung　to　their　ugly　stick。　　The　horizon　on　the　left　of　the　road　had　a　charm；　however；　there　is　something　picturesque　in　the　big；　comfortable　shoulders　of　the　Cote。　　That　delicate　critic；　M。　Emile　Montegut；　in　a　charming　record　of　travel　through　this　region；　published　some　years　ago；　praises　Shakspeare　for　having　talked　（in　〃Lear〃）　of　〃waterish　Burgundy。〃　　Vinous　Burgundy　would　surely　be　more　to　the　point。　　I　stopped　at　Beaune　in　pursuit　of　the　picturesque；　but　I　might　almost　have　seen　the　little　I　discovered　without　stop…　ping。　　It　is　a　drowsy　little　Burgundian　town；　very　old　and　ripe；　with　crooked　streets；　vistas　always　ob…　lique；　and　steep；　moss…covered　roofs。　　The　principal　lion　is　the　Hopital…Saint…Esprit；　or　the　Hotel…Dieu；　simply；　as　they　call　it　there；　founded　in　1443　by　Nicholas　Rollin；　Chancellor　of　Burgundy。　　It　is　ad…　ministered　by　the　sisterhood　of　the　Holy　Ghost；　and　is　one　of　the　most　venerable　and　stately　of　hospitals。　The　face　it　presents　to　the　street　is　simple；　but　strik…　ing；　…　a　plain；　windowless　wall；　surmounted　by　a　vast　slate　roof；　of　almost　mountainous　steepness。　　Astride　this　roof　sits　a　tall；　slate…covered　spire；　from　which；　as　I　arrived；　the　prettiest　chimes　I　ever　heard　（worse　luck　to　them；　as　I　will　presently　explain）　were　ring…　ing。　　Over　the　door　is　a　high；　quaint　canopy；　without　supports；　with　its　vault　painted　blue　and　covered　with　gilded　stars。　　（This；　and　indeed　the　whole　build…　ing；　have　lately　been　restored；　and　its　antiquity　is　quite　of　the　spick…and…span　order。　　But　it　is　very　delightful。）　　The　treasure　of　the　place　is　a　precious　picture；　…　a　Last　Judgment；　attributed　equally　to　John　van　Eyck　and　Roger　van　der　Weyden；　…　given　to　the　hospital　in　the　fifteenth　century　by　Nicholas　Rollin　aforesaid。
  I　learned；　however；　to　my　dismay；　from　a　sympa…　thizing　but　inexorable　concierge；　that　what　remained　to　me　of　the　time　I　had　to　spend　at　Beaune；　between　trains；　…　I　had　rashly　wasted　half　an　hour　of　it　in　breakfasting　at　the　station；　…　was　the　one　hour　of　the　day　（that　of　the　dinner　of　the　nuns；　the　picture　is　in　their　refectory）　during　which　the　treasure　could　not　be　shown。　　The　purpose　of　the　musical　chimes　to　which　I　had　so　artlessly　listened　was　to　usher　in　this　fruitless　interval。　　The　regulation　was　absolute；　and　my　disappointment　relative；　as　I　have　been　happy　to　reflect　since　I　〃looked　up〃　the　picture。　　Crowe　and　Cavalcaselle　assign　it　without　hesitation　to　Roger　van　der　Weyden；　and　give　a　weak　little　drawing　of　it　in　their　〃Flemish　Painters。〃　　I　learn　from　them　also　…　what　I　was　ignorant　of　…　that　Nicholas　Ronin；　Chan…　cellor　of　Burgundy　and　founder　of　the　establishment　at　Beaune；　was　the　original　of　the　worthy　kneeling　before　the　Virgin；　in　the　magnificent　John　van　Eyck　of　the　Salon　Carre。　　All　I　could　see　was　the　court　of　the　hospital　and　two　or　three　rooms。　　The　court；　with　its　tall　roofs；　its　pointed　gables　and　spires；　its　wooden　galleries；　its　ancient　well；　with　an　elaborate　superstruc…　ture　of　wrought　iron；　is　one　of　those　places　into　which　a　sketcher　ought　to　be　let　loose。　　It　looked　Flemish　or　English　rather　than　French；　and　a　splendid　tidiness　pervaded　it。　　The　porter　took　me　into　two　rooms　on　the　ground…floor；　into　which　the　sketcher　should　also　be　allowed　to　penetrate；　for　they　made　irresistible　pictures。　　One　of　them；　of　great　proportions；　painted　in　elaborate　〃subjects；〃　like　a　ball…room　of　the　seven…　teenth　century；　was　filled　with　the　beds　of　patients；　all　draped　in　curtains　of　dark　red　cloth；　the　tradi…　tional　uniform　of　these；　eleemosynary　couches。　　Among　them　the　sisters　moved　about；　in　their　robes　of　white　flannel；　with　big　white　linen　hoods。　　The　other　room　was　a　strange；　immense　apartment；　lately　restored　with　much　splendor。　　It　was　of　great　length　and　height；　had　a　painted　and　gilded　barrel…roof；　and　one　end　of　it　…　the　one　I　was　introduced　to　…　appeared　to　serve　as　a　chapel；　as　two　white…robed　sisters　were　on　their　knees　before　an　altar。　　This　was　divided　by　red　curtains　from　the　larger　part；　but　the　porter　lifted　one　of　the　curtains；　and　showed　me　that　the　rest　of　it；　a　long；　imposing　vista；　served　as　a　ward；　lined　with　little　red…draped　beds。　　〃C'est　l'heure　de　la　lecture；〃　remarked　my　guide；　and　a　group　of　conva…　lescents　…　all　the　patients　I　saw　were　women　…　were　gathered　in　the　centre　around　a　nun；　the　points　of　whose　white　hood　nodded　a　little　above　them；　and　whose　gentle　voice　came　to　us　faintly；　with　a　little　echo；　down　the　high　perspective。　　I　know　not　what　the　good　sister　was　reading；　…　a　dull　book；　I　am　afraid；　…　but　there　was　so　much　color；　and　such　a　fine；　rich　air　of　tradition　about　the　whole　place；　that　it　seemed　to　me　I　would　have　risked　listening　to　her。　　I　turned　away；　however；　with　that　sense　of　defeat　which　is　always　irritating　to　the　appreciative　tourist；　and　pot…　tered　about　Beaune　rather　vaguely　for　the　rest　of　my　hour：　looked　at　the　statue　of　Gaspard　Monge；　the　mathematician；　in　the　little　_place_　（there　is　no　_place_　in　France　too　little　to　contain　an　effigy　to　a　glorious　son）；　at　the　fine　old　porch　…　completely　despoiled　at　the　Revolution　…　of　the　principal　church；　and　even　at　the　meagre　treasures　of　a　courageous　but　melancholy　little　museum；　which　has　been　arranged　…　part　of　it　being　the　gift　of　a　local　collector　…　in　a　small　hotel　de　ville。　I　carried　away　from　Beaune　the　impression　of　some…　thing　mildly　autumnal；　…　something　rusty　yet　kindly；　like　the　taste　of　a　sweet　russet　pear。
  XL。
  It　was　very　well　that　my　little　tour　was　to　termi…　nate　at　Dijon；　for　I　found；　rather　to　my　chagrin；　that　there　was　not　a　great　deal；　from　the　pictorial　point　of　view；　to　be　done　with　Dijon。　　It　was　no　great　matter；　for　I　held　my　proposition　to　have　been　by　this　time　abundantly　demonstrated；　…　the　proposition　with　which　I　started：　that　if　Paris　is　France；　France　is　by　no　means　Paris。　　If　Dijon　was　a　good　deal　of　a　disap…　pointment；　I　felt；　therefore；　that　I　could　afford　it。　　It　was　time　for　me　to　reflect；　also；　that　for　my　disap…　pointments；　as　a　general　thing；　I　had　only　myself　to　thank。　　They　had　too　often　been　the　consequence　of　arbitrary　preconceptions；　produced　by　influences　of　which　I　had　lost　the　trace。　　At　any　rate；　I　will　say　plumply　that　the　ancient　capital　of　Burgundy　is　want…　ing　in　character；　it　is　not　up　to　the　mark。　　It　is　old　and　narrow　and　crooked；　and　it　has　been　left　pretty　well　to　itself：　but　it　is　not　high　and　overhanging；　it　is　not；　to　the　eye；　what　the　Burgundian　capital　should　be。　　It　has　some　tortuous　vistas；　some　mossy　roofs；　some　bulging　fronts；　some　gray…faced　hotels；　which　look　as　if　in　former　centuries　…　in　the　last；　for　instance；　during　the　time　of　that　delightful　President　de　Brosses；　whose　Letters　from　Italy　throw　an　interesting　side…light　on　Dijon　…　they　had　witnessed　a　considerable　amount　of　good　living。　　But　there　is　nothing　else。　　I　speak　as　a　man　who　for　some　reason　which　he　doesn't　remem…　ber　now；　did　not　pay　a　visit　to　the　celebrated　Puits　de　Moise；　an　ancient　cistern；　embellished　with　a　sculp…　tured　figure　of　the　Hebrew　lawgiver。
  The　ancient　palace　of　the　Dukes　of　Burgundy；　long　since　converted　into　an　hotel　de　ville；　presents　to　a　wide；　clean　court；　paved　with　washed…looking　stones；　and　to　a　small　semicircular　_place_；　opposite；　which　looks　as　if　it　had　tried　to　be　symmetrical　and　had　failed；　a　facade　and　two　wings；　characterized　by　the　stiffness；　but　not　by　the　grand　air；　of　the　early　part　of　the　eighteenth　century。　　It　contains；　however；　a　large　and　rich　museum；　…　a　museum　really　worthy　of　a　capi…　tal。　　The　gem　of　this　exhibition　is　the　great　banquet…　ing…hall　of　the　old　palace；　one　of　the　few　features　of　the　place　that　has　not　been　essentially　altered。　　Of　great　height；　roofed　with　the　old　beams　and　cornices；　it　contains；　filling　one　end；　a　colossal　Gothic　chimney…　piece；　with　a　fireplace　large　enough　to　roast；　not　an　ox；　but　a　herd　of　oxen。　　In　the　middle　of　this　striking　hall；　the　walls　of　which。　are　covered　with　objects　more　or　less　precious；　have　been　placed　the　tombs　of　Philippe…　le…Hardi　and　Jean…sans…Peur。　　These　monuments；　very　splendid　in　their　general　effect；　have　a　limited　interest。　The　limitation　comes　from　the　fact　that　we　see　them　to…day　in　a　transplanted　and　mutilated　condition。　Placed　originally　in　a　church　which　has　disappeared　from　the　face　of　the　earth；　demolished　and　dispersed　at　the　Revolution；　they　have　been　reconstructed　and　restored　out　of　fragments　recovered　and　pieced　to…　gether。　　The　piecing　his　been　beautifully　done；　it　is　covered　with　gilt　and　with　brilliant　paint；　the　whole　result　is　most　artistic。　　But　the　spell　of　the　old　mor…　tuary　figures　is　broken；　and　it　will　never　work　again。　Meanwhile　the　monuments　are　immensely　decorative。
  I　think　the　thing　that　pleased　me　best　at　Dijon　was　the　little　old　Parc；　a　charming　public　garden；　about　a　mile　from　the　town；　to　which　I　walked　by　a　long；　straight　autumnal　avenue。　　It　is　a　_jardin　fran…　cais_　of　the　last　century；　…　a　dear　old　place；　with　little　blue…green　perspectives　and　alleys　and　_rondpoints_；　in　which　everything　balances。　　I　went　there　late　in　the　afternoon；　without　meeting　a　creature；　though　I　had　hoped　I　should　meet　the　President　de　Brosses。　　At　the　end　of　it　was　a　little　river　that　looked　like　a　canal；　and