upon the top of the coach, behind the driver's seat.

Usually in French diligences there is another compartment, in the middle, which is called the interior, and the seat above, behind that of the driver, is covered by a kind of chaise top, made to put up or down according to the state of the weather. The diligence at St. Lo, however, was a smaller kind. There was no interior, and the seat upon the top was only a cushioned bench, without any protection from the weather.

The coupé was small, and there was only room for three persons upon the seat.

"And there are four of us to go," said Mrs. Morelle. "What shall we do ?"

"Let me ride on top," said John, eagerly. "I'll ride on top."

So saying he began at once to climb up to the upper seat.

After considerable consultation and debate, it was decided that Mrs. Morelle and Florence should take places in the coupé, and that Grimkie and John should go upon the top. So Grimkie went into the office and engaged the places and paid for them. The price for those upon the top was only about two-thirds that of those in the coupé.

The next morning at a little past eleven-for

the diligence was to set out at twelve-the party left the inn in the upper town, and proceeded by a little omnibus, marked also OUEST,-which went from the inn to the railway at the arrival and departure of every train-down through a long winding street, and over a stone bridge to the station. The baggage was there transferred to the top of the diligence, and they themselves walked about the station grounds, amusing themselves with watching the various operations which they saw going on there, until a few minutes before twelve, when the hostlers began to bring out the horses. Grimkie then assisted his aunt and Florence to enter the coupé, and after they were seated he and John climbed up to the top, where they established themselves very comfortably, with blanket shawls over their shoulders, and the boot drawn up over their knees, for Mrs. Morelle had told them that it would grow cool

as the

sun declined.

The horses were soon harnessed, and several people of the country-peasant women and

others took their places in the omnibus part of the diligence, which for some reason or other,

which

I could never understand, is called the

rotunda. In a very few minutes after the clock struck twelve, the diligence set out, and the

*French--rotonde.

horses, with a great deal of springing and prancing, which seemed to be partly encouraged and partly restrained, by a prodigious cracking of the whip which the driver kept up, trotted and cantered swiftly out of the yard.

"Now," said John, in a tone of great satisfaction, "we will have a capital ride."

"Yes," said Grimkie, "so we will."

"I am so glad," said John, "that there was not room for all four of us in the coupé.”

"It is much more genteel to ride in the coupé," said Grimkie.

"I don't care for the genteelness of it," replied John. "I want to ride where I can see."

After leaving the environs of the town, the diligence entered upon one of the grand highways of France, a species of road which is in some sense peculiar to France, or which at least exists in that country, in greater perfection than in any other. These roads are very broad and straight, and they are finished in every part with the most exact military precision. They are in fact, in a great measure, military roads, being constructed by the government at an enormous expense, and maintained in the most perfect condition, with a view to facilitating, as much as possible, the marching of troops to and fro, all over the country, and the transmission of artil

lery and of military stores. There are in general no fences at the sides of them--for the fields in France are usually not enclosed, it being not customary to allow the cattle to go at large,-but they are bordered by rows of trees, which are sometimes of magnificent size, and they are finished perfectly, to the margin of the grass or the grain on each side, like gravel walks or drives in a gentleman's pleasure grounds. Very often a broad and nicely finished sidewalk, runs along upon one side of the road for miles, leading from one town or village to another, and on the other side, along the whole extent of the road, there are arranged in regular order, and in the nicest condition, little pyramids of broken stone, to be used for the repair of the road, whenever the first appearance of a rut, or the least irregularity shows itself upon the surface.

At every kilometre-which is a French measure of distance in respect to roads-there was what John called a milestone. These stones were large and substantial, and had three faces, one on each side showing the distances to the two towns in the two directions, and another sloping toward the road on the top, containing the name and number of the road itself—for all these great military highways are named and numbered.

On the opposite side of the road from these stones were other stones placed at intervals, and dividing the road into sections, or, as they are cailed, cantons, with reference to the work of inspection and repairs. Here and there were to be seen the men who had charge of the different cantons. They were workmen, dressed in a sort of uniform, as government officials, and they wore a badge upon their caps denoting their office, and the canton of the road which was under their charge.

Such a road as this as it opens to the view of the traveler seated on the banquette of a diligence, extending sometimes before him as far as he can see in an unbroken line, and bordered on each side by rows of wide-spreading trees, presents to his eye, as the horses gallop on over its smooth and solid surface, a very grand and imposing spectacle.

It was five hours' ride from St. Lo to Granville, and about midway of the road was the town of Coutances, where Grimkie calculated that the diligence would arrive about half past two. There were many other villages, however, along the road, and the diligence stopped several times to change horses. These stoppages usually took place at some very ancient and queer-looking inn, with stables built of stone and roofed