[Digalog-admin] Nly, the women of this region pattern themselves

Sat Aug 29 05:57:23 CEST 2009

Large, stately room--and was impressive. M. le Maire was a tall man,
with a cherubic face made broader by wing-like little whiskers. He wore
a white cravat, a long frock-coat, appositely black trousers, and a
far-reaching white waistcoat over which wandered tranquilly his official
tri-coloured scarf. The speech which he addressed to us was of the most
flattering. He told us plainly that we were an extraordinarily
distinguished company; that our coming to Valence was an event to be
remembered long and honourably in the history of the town; that he,
personally and officially, was grateful to us; and that, personally and
officially, he would have the pleasure of drinking to our very good
health. And then (most appropriately by the brass-helmeted firemen)
well-warmed champagne was served; and in that cordial beverage, after M.
Edouard Lockroy had made answer for us, we pledged each other with an
excellent good will. I am sorry to say that we "scamped" our last
monument. To be sure, it was merely a tablet in a house-front setting
forth the fact that Emile Augier had been born there; and already Augier
had had one of the best speeches of the day. But that was no excuse for
us. Actually, we scarcely waited to see the veil of pink paper torn away
by a man on a step-ladder before we broke for the boat--and not a speech
of any sort was made! Yet they bore us no malice, those brave Valencois.
All the way down to the river, under the blaze of the sun, they crowded
closely around us--with a well-meant but misapplied friendliness--and
breathed what little air was stirring thrice over before it had a chance
to get to our lungs. They covered again in a black swarm the ban
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