,,normandy3  ,,the ,,scenery  ,,romance 
,,of ,,its ,,ancient ,,towns3           
,,depicted ,,by ,,gordon ,,home  ,part  
#b4     ,,chapter ,,iv   ,concerning the
 ,cathedral ,city of ,evreux and the    
,road to ,bernay  ,the tolling of the   
deep-toned bourdon in the cathedral     
tower reverberates over the old town of 
,evreux as we pass along the cobbled    
streets4 ,there is a yellow evening     
light overhead1 and the painted stucco  
walls of the houses reflect the soft1   
glowing colour of the west4 ,in the     
courtyard of the ,hotel du ,grand ,cerf1
 too1 every thing is bathed in this     
beautiful light and the double line of  
closely trimmed laurels has not yet been
 deserted by the golden flood4 ,but     
,evreux does not really require a fine  
evening to make it attractive1 although 
there is no town in existence that is   
not improved under such conditions4     
,with the magnificent cathedral1 the    
belfry1 the ,norman church of ,st       
,taurin and the museum1 besides many    

quaint peeps by the much sub-divided    
river ,iton that flows through the town1
 there is sufficient to interest one    
even on the dullest of dull days4  ,of  
all the cathedral interiors in ,normandy
 there are none that possess a finer or 
more perfectly proportioned nave than   
,evreux1 and if ,i were asked to point  
out the two most impressive interiors of
 the churches in this division of       
,france ,i should couple the cathedral  
at ,evreux with ,st ,ouen at ,rouen4    
,it was our own ,henry ,i4 who having   
destroyed the previous building set to  
work to build a new one and it is his   
nave that we see to-day4 ,the whole     
cathedral has since that time been made 
to reflect the changing ideals of the   
seven centuries that have passed4 ,the  
west front belongs entirely to the      
,renaissance period and the north       
transept is in the flamboyant style of  
the fifteenth century so much in        
evidence in ,normandy and so infrequent 
in ,england4  ,the central tower with   

its tall steeple now encased in         
scaffolding was built in #adgj by       
,cardinal ,balue1 ,bishop of ,evreux and
 inventor of the fearful wooden cages in
 one of which the prisoner ,dubourg died
 at ,mont ,st ,michel4  ,in most of the 
windows there is old and richly coloured
 glass2 those in the chancel have       
stronger tones1 but they all transform  
the shafts of light into gorgeous       
rainbow effects which stand out in      
wonderful contrast to the delicate1     
creamy white of the stone-work4 ,pale   
blue banners are suspended in the       
chancel1 and the groining above is      
coloured on each side of the bosses for 
a short distance1 so that as one looks  
up the great sweep of the nave1 the     
banners and the brilliant fifteenth     
century glass appear as vivid patches of
 colour beyond the uniform1 creamy grey 
on either side4 ,the ,norman towers at  
the west end of the cathedral are       
completely hidden in the mask of        
classical work planted on top of the    

older stone-work in the sixteenth       
century1 and more recent restoration has
 altered some of the other features of  
the exterior4 ,at the present day the   
process of restoration still goes on1   
but the faults of our grandfathers      
fortunately are not repeated4  ,leaving 
the ,place ,parvis by the ,rue de       
l',horloge you come to the great open   
space in front of the ,hotel de ,ville  
and the theatre with the museum on the  
right1 in which there are several ,roman
 remains discovered at ,vieil-,evreux1  
among them being a bronze statue of     
,jupiter ,stator4 ,on the opposite side 
of the ,place stands the beautiful town 
belfry built at the end of the fifteenth
 century4 ,there was an earlier one     
before that time1 but ,i do not know    
whether it had been destroyed during the
 wars with the ,english1 or whether the 
people of ,evreux merely raised the     
present graceful tower in place of the  
older one with a view to beautifying the
 town4 ,the bell1 which was cast in     

#adjf may have hung in the former       
structure1 and there is some fascination
 in hearing its notes when one realises 
how these same sound waves have fallen  
on the ears of the long procession of   
players who have performed their parts  
within its hearing4 ,a branch of the    
,iton runs past the foot of the tower in
 canal fashion2 it is backed by old     
houses and crossed by many a bridge1 and
 helps to build up a suitable foreground
 to the beautiful old belfry1 which     
seems to look across to the brand new   
,hotel de ,ville with an injured        
expression4 ,from the ,boulevard        
,chambaudouin there is a good view of   
one side of the ,bishop's palace which  
lies on the south side of the cathedral1
 and is joined to it by a gallery and   
the remains of the cloister4 ,the walls 
are strongly fortified1 and in front of 
them runs a branch of one of the canals 
of the ,iton1 that must have originally 
served as a moat4  ,out towards the long
 straight avenue that runs out of the   

town in the direction of ,caen1 there   
may be seen the ,norman church of ,st   
,taurin4 ,it is all that is left of the 
,benedictine abbey that once stood here4
 ,many people who explore this          
interesting church fail to see the      
silver-gilt reliquary of the twelfth    
century that is shown to visitors who   
make the necessary inquiries4 ,the      
richness of its enamels and the         
elaborate ornamentation studded with    
imitation gems that have replaced the   
real ones1 makes this casket almost     
unique4  ,many scenes from the life of  
the saint are shown in the windows of   
the choir of the church4 ,they are      
really most interesting1 and the glass  
is very beautiful4 ,the south door must 
have been crowded with the most         
elaborate ornament1 but the delicately  
carved stone-work has been hacked away  
and the thin pillars replaced by crude1 
uncarved chunks of stone4 ,there is     
,norman arcading outside the north      
transept as well as just above the floor

 in the north aisle4 ,st ,taurin is a   
somewhat dilapidated and cob-webby      
church1 but it is certainly one of the  
interesting features of ,evreux4        
,instead of keeping on the road to ,caen
 after reaching the end of the great    
avenue just mentioned1 we turn towards  
the south and soon enter pretty pastoral
 scenery4 ,the cottages are almost in   
every instance thatched1 with ridges    
plastered over with a kind of cobb mud4 
,in the cracks in this curious ridging1 
grass seeds and all sorts of wild       
flowers are soon deposited1 so that upon
 the roof of nearly every cottage there 
is a luxuriant growth of grass and      
flowers4 ,in some cases yellow irises   
alone ornament the roofs1 and they      
frequently grow on the tops of the walls
 that are treated in a similar fashion4 
,a few miles out of ,evreux you pass a  
hamlet with a quaint little church built
 right upon the roadway with no         
churchyard or wall of any description4  
,a few broken gravestones of quite      

recent date litter the narrow1 dusty    
space between the north side of the     
church and the roadway4 ,inside there is
 an untidy aspect to everything1 but    
there are some windows containing very  
fine thirteenth century glass which the 
genial old cure shows with great        
delight1 for it is said that they were  
intended for the cathedral at ,evreux1  
but by some chance remained in this     
obscure hamlet4 ,the cure also points   
out the damage done to the windows by   
socialistes at a recent date4  ,by the  
roadside towards ,conches1 there are    
magpies everywhere1 punctuated by yellow
 hammers and nightingales4 ,the cottages
 have thatch of a very deep brown colour
 over the hipped roofs1 closely         
resembling those in the out-of-the-way  
parts of ,sussex4 ,it a beautiful       
country1 and the delightfully situated  
town of ,conches at the edge of its     
forest is well matched with its         
surroundings4  ,in the middle of the day
 the inhabitants seem to entirely       

disappear from the sunny street1 and    
everything has a placid and reposeful   
appearance as though the place revelled 
in its quaintness4 ,backed by the dense 
masses of forest there is a sloping     
green where an avenue of great chestnuts
 tower above the long1 low roof of the  
timber-framed cattle shelter4 ,on the   
highest part of the hill stands the     
castle1 whose round1 central tower shows
 above the trees that grow thickly on   
the slopes of the hill4 ,close to the   
castle is the graceful church1 and      
beyond are the clustered roofs of the   
houses4 ,a viaduct runs full tilt       
against the hill nearly beneath the     
church1 and then the railway pierces the
 hill on its way towards ,bernay4 ,the  
tall spire of the church of ,st ,foy is 
comparatively new1 for the whole        
structure was rebuilt in the fifteenth  
century1 but its stained glass is of    
exceptional interest4 ,its richness of  
colour and the interest of the subjects 
indicate some unusually gifted artist1  

and one is not surprised to discover    
that they were designed by ,aldegrevers1
 who was trained by that great master   
,albrecht ,dyrer4 ,altogether there are 
twenty-one of these beautiful windows4  
,seven occupy the eastern end of the    
apse and give scenes taken from the life
 of ,st ,foy4  ,you can reach the castle
 by passing through the quaint archway  
of the ,hotel de ,ville1 and then       
passing through the shady public garden 
you plunge into the dry moat that       
surrounds the fortified mound4 ,there is
 not very much to see but what appears  
in a distant view of the town1 and in   
many ways the outside groupings of the  
worn ruin and the church roofs and spire
 above the houses are better than the   
scenes in the town itself4 ,the ,hotel  
,croix ,blanche is a pleasant little    
house for dejeuner4 ,everything is      
extremely simple and typical of the     
family methods of the small ,french inn1
 where excellent cooking goes along with
 many primitive usages4 ,the cool       

salle-a-manger is reached through the   
general living-room and kitchen1 which  
is largely filled with the table where  
you may see the proprietor and his      
family partaking of their own meals4    
,there seems no room to cook anything at
 all1 and yet when you are seated in the
 next room the daughter of the family1  
an attractive and neatly dressed girl1  
gracefully serves the most admirable    
courses1 worthy and perhaps better than 
what one may expect to obtain in the    
best hotel in ,rouen4  ,there is a road 
that passes right through the forest of 
,conches towards ,rugles1 but that must 
be left for another occasion if we are  
to see anything of the charms of        
,beaumont-le-,roger1 the perfectly      
situated little town that lies half-way 
between ,conches and ,bernay4  ,the long
 street of the town containing some very
 charming peeps as you go towards the   
church is really a terrace on the       
limestone hills that rises behind the   
houses on the right1 and falls steeply  

on the left4 ,spaces between the houses 
and narrow turnings give glimpses of the
 rich green country down below4 ,from   
the lower level you see the rocky ridge 
above clothed in a profusion of trees4  
,the most perfect picture in the town is
 from the river bank just by the bridge4
 ,in the foreground is the mirror-like  
stream that gives its own rendering of  
the scene that is built up above it4    
,leaning upon a parapet of the bridge is
 a man with a rod who is causing        
tragedies in the life that teems beneath
 the glassy surface4 ,beyond the bridge 
appear some quaint red roofs with one   
tower-like house with an overhanging    
upper storey4 ,higher up comes the      
precipitous hill divided into terraces  
by the huge walls that surround the     
abbey buildings1 and still higher1 but  
much below the highest part of the hill1
 are the picturesque ruins of the abbey4
 ,on the summit of the ridge dominating 
all are the insignificant remains of the
 castle built by ,roger a la ,barbe1    

whose name survives in that of the town4
 ,his family were the founders of the   
abbey that flourished for several       
centuries1 but finally1 about a hundred 
years ago1 the buildings were converted 
to the uses of a factory6 ,spinning and 
weaving might have still been going on  
but for a big fire that destroyed the   
whole place4 ,there was1 however1 a     
considerably more complete series of    
buildings left than we can see to-day1  
but scarcely more than fifty years ago  
the place was largely demolished for    
building materials4 ,the view from the  
river ,rille is therefore the best the  
ruin can boast1 for seen from that point
 the arches rise up against the green   
background as a stately ruin1 and the   
tangled mass of weeds and debris are    
invisible4 ,the entrance is most        
inviting4 ,it is down at the foot of the
 cliff1 and the archway with the steep  
ascent inside suggests all sorts of     
delights beyond1 as it stands there just
 by the main street of the town4 ,i was 

sorry afterwards1 that ,i had accepted  
that hospitality1 for with the exception
 of a group of merry children playing in
 an orchard and some big caves hollowed 
out of the foot of the cliff that rises 
still higher1 ,i saw nothing but a      
jungle of nettles4 ,this warning should 
not1 however1 suggest that              
,beaumont-le-,roger is a poor place to  
visit4 ,not only is it a charming1 ,i   
may say a fascinating spot to visit1 but
 it is also a place in which to stay1   
for the longer you remain there the less
 do you like the idea of leaving4 ,the  
church of ,st ,nicholas standing in the 
main street where it becomes much wider 
and forms a small ,place1 is a beautiful
 old building whose mellow colours on   
stone-work and tiles glow vividly on a  
sunny afternoon4 ,there is a great stone
 wall forming the side of the rocky     
platform that supports the building and 
the entrance is by steps that lead up to
 the west end4 ,the tower belongs to the
 flamboyant period and high up on its   

parapet you may see a small statue of   
,regulus who does duty as a             
,jack-smite-the-clock4 ,just by the     
porch there leans against a wall a most 
ponderous grave slab which was made for 
the tomb of ,jehan du ,moustier a       
soldier of the fourteenth century who   
fought for that ,charles of ,navarre who
 was surnamed ,the ,bad4 ,the classic   
additions to the western part of the    
church seem strangely out of sympathy   
with the gargoyles overhead and the     
thirteenth century arcades of the nave1 
but this mixing up of styles is really  
more incongruous in description than in 
reality4  ,when you have decided to     
leave ,beaumont-le-,roger and have      
passed across the old bridge and out    
into the well-watered plain1 the        
position of the little town suggests    
that of the village of ,pulborough in   
,sussex1 where a road goes downhill to a
 bridge and then crosses the rich       
meadowland where the river ,arun winds  
among the pastures in just the same     

fashion as the ,rille4  ,at a bend in   
the road to ,bernay stands the village  
of ,serquigny4 ,it is just at the edge  
of the forest of ,beaumont which we have
 been skirting1 and besides having a    
church partially belonging to the       
twelfth century it has traces of a      
,roman ,camp4 ,all the rest of the way  
to ,bernay the road follows the railway 
and the river ,charentonne until the    
long--and when you are looking out for  
the hotel--seemingly endless street of  
,bernay is reached4 ,after the wonderful
 combination of charms that are flaunted
 by ,beaumont-le-,roger it is possible  
to grumble at the plainer features of   
,bernay1 but there is really no reason  
to hurry out of the town for there is   
much quaint architecture to be seen1 and
 near the ,hotel du ,lion d',or there is
 a house built right over the street    
resting on solid wooden posts4 ,but more
 interesting than the domestic          
architecture are the remains of the     
abbey founded by ,judith of ,brittany   

very early in the eleventh century for  
it is probably one of the oldest        
,romanesque remains in ,normandy4 ,the  
church is cut up into various rooms and 
shops at the choir end1 and there has   
been much indiscriminate ill-treatment  
of the ancient stone-work4 ,much of the 
structure1 including the plain round    
arches and square columns1 is of the    
very earliest ,norman period1 having    
been built in the first half of the     
eleventh century1 but in later times    
classic ornament was added to the work  
of those shadowy times when the kingdom 
of ,normandy had not long been          
established4 ,so much alteration in the 
styles of decoration has taken place in 
the building that it is possible to be  
certain of the date of only some        
portions of the structure4 ,the ,hotel  
de ,ville now occupies part of the abbey
 buildings4  ,at the eastern side of the
 town stands ,st ,croix1 a fifteenth    
century church with a most spacious     
interior4 ,there is much beautiful glass

 dating from three hundred years ago in 
the windows of the nave and transepts1  
but perhaps the feature which will be   
remembered most when other impressions  
have vanished1 will be the finely carved
 statues belonging to the fourteenth    
century which were brought here from the
 ,abbey of ,bec4 ,the south transept    
contains a monument to ,guillaume       
,arvilarensis1 an abbot of ,bec who died
 in #adah4 ,upon the great altar which  
is believed to have been brought from   
the ,abbey of ,bec1 there are eight     
marble columns surrounding a small white
 marble figure of the ,child ,jesus4    
,another church at ,bernay is that of   
,notre ,dame de la ,couture4 ,it has    
much fourteenth century work and behind 
the high altar there are five chapels1  
the centre one containing a copy of the 
sacred image of ,notre ,dame which      
stands by the column immediately to the 
right of the entrance4 ,much more could 
be said of these three churches with    
their various styles of architecture    

extending from the very earliest period 
down to the classic work of the         
seventeenth century4 ,but this is not   
the place for intricate descriptions of 
architectural detail which are chiefly  
useful in books which are intended for  
carrying from place to place4           
,,chapter ,v   ,concerning ,lisieux and 
the ,romantic ,town of ,falaise         
,lisieux is so rich in the curious      
timber-framed houses of the middle and  
later ages that there are some examples 
actually visible immediately outside the
 railway station whereas in most cases  
one usually finds an aggregation of     
uninteresting modern buildings4 ,as you 
go towards the centre of the town the   
old houses1 which have only been dotted 
about here and there1 join hands and    
form whole streets of the most romantic 
and almost stage-like picturesqueness4  
,the narrow street illustrated here is  
the ,rue aux ,fevres4 ,its houses are   
astonishingly fine1 and it              
forms--especially in the evening--a     

background suitable for any of the      
stirring scenes that took place in such 
grand old towns as ,lisieux in medieval 
days4 ,this street is however1 only one 
of several that reek of history4 ,in the
 ,rue des ,boucheries and in the ,grande
 ,rue there are lovely overhanging      
gables and curious timber-framing that  
is now at any angle but what was        
originally intended4 ,there is really so
 much individual quaintness in these    
houses that they deserve infinitely more
 than the scurry past them which so     
frequently is all their attractions     
obtain4 ,the narrowness and fustiness of
 the ,rue aux ,fevres certainly hinder  
you from spending much time in examining
 the houses but there are two which     
deserve a few minutes' individual       
attention4 ,one which has a very wide   
gable and the upper floors boarded is   
believed to be of very great antiquity1 
dating from as early a period as the    
thirteenth century4 ,it is numbered     
thirty-three1 and must not be confused  

with the richly ornamented ,manoir de   
,francois ,i4 ,the timber work of this  
house1 especially of the two lower      
floors is covered with elaborate carving
 including curious animals and quaint   
little figures1 and also the salamander 
of the royal house4 ,for this reason the
 photographs sold in the shops label the
 house ,manoir de la ,salamandre4 ,the  
place is now fast going to ruin--a most 
pitiable sight and ,i for one1 would    
prefer to see the place restored rather 
than it should be allowed to become so  
hopelessly dilapidated and rotten that  
the question of its preservation should 
come to be considered lightly4  ,if the 
town authorities of ,lisieux chose to do
 so1 they could encourage the townsfolk 
to enrich many of their streets by a    
judicious flaking off of the plaster    
which in so many cases tries to hide all
 the pleasant features of houses that   
have seen at least three centuries1 but 
this sort of work when in the hands of  
only partially educated folk is liable  

to produce a worse state of affairs than
 if things had been left untouched4 ,an 
example of what over-restoration can do1
 may be seen when we reach the beautiful
 old inn at ,dives4  ,the two churches  
of ,lisieux are well fitted to their    
surroundings1 and although ,st ,jacques 
has no graceful tower or fleche1 the    
quaintness of its shingled belfry makes 
up for the lack of the more stately     
towers of ,st ,pierre4 ,where the       
stone-work has stopped short the        
buttresses are roofed with the quaintest
 semi-circular caps1 and over the clock 
there are two more odd-looking pepper   
boxes perched upon the steep slope that 
projects from the square belfry4 ,over  
all there is a low pyramidal roof1      
stained with orange lichen and making a 
great contrast in colour to the         
weather-beaten stone-work down below4   
,there are small patches of tiled       
roofing to the buttresses at the western
 ends of the aisles and these also add  
colour to this picturesque building4    

,the great double flight of stone steps 
which lead to the imposing western door 
have balustrades filled with flamboyant 
tracery1 but although the church is     
built up in this way1 the floor in the  
interior is not level1 for it slopes    
gently up towards the east4 ,the        
building was commenced during the reign 
of ,louis ,,xii4 and not finished until 
nearly the end of the reign of ,francois
 ,i4 ,it is therefore coeval with that  
richly carved house in the ,rue aux     
,fevres4 ,along the sides of the church 
there project a double row of           
thirsty-looking gargoyles--the upper    
ones having their shoulders supported by
 the mass of masonry supporting the     
flying buttresses4 ,the interior is     
richer than the exterior1 and you may   
see on some of the pillars remains of   
sixteenth century paintings4 ,a picture 
dating from #afha occupies a position in
 the chapel of ,st ,ursin in the south  
aisle2 it shows the relic of the saint  
being brought to ,lisieux in #ajee4     

,the wide and sunny ,place ,thiers is   
dominated by the great church of ,st    
,pierre1 which was left practically in  
its present form in the year #abcc4 ,the
 first church was begun some years      
before the conquest of ,england but     
about a century later it suffered the   
fate of ,bayeux being burnt down in     
#aacf4 ,it was reconstructed soon       
afterwards and shows to-day the first   
period of ,gothic architecture that     
became prevalent in ,normandy4 ,only the
 north tower dates from this period1 the
 other one had to be rebuilt during the 
reign of ,henri ,,iii4 and the spire    
only made its appearance in the         
seventeenth century4 ,the ,lady ,chapel 
is of particular interest owing to the  
statement that it was built by that     
,bishop of ,beauvais who took such a    
prominent part in the trial of ,joan of 
,arc4 ,the main arches over the big west
 door are now bare of carving or        
ornament and the ,hotel de ,ville is    
built right up against the north-west   

corner1 but despite this ,st ,pierre has
 the most imposing and stately          
appearance1 and there are many features 
such as the curious turrets of the south
 transept that impress themselves on the
 memory more than some of the other     
churches we have seen4  ,lisieux is one 
of those cheerful towns that appear     
always clean and bright under the       
dullest skies1 so that when the sun     
shines every view seems freshly painted 
and blazing with colour4 ,the freshness 
of the atmosphere1 too1 is seldom       
tainted with those peculiar odours that 
some ,french towns produce with such    
enormous prodigality1 and ,lisieux may  
therefore claim a further point in its  
favour4  ,it is generally a wide1       
hedgeless stretch of country that lies  
between ,lisieux and ,falaise1 but for  
the first ten miles there are big       
farm-houses with timber-framed barns and
 many orchards bearing a profusion of   
blossom near the roadside4 ,a small farm
 perched above the road and quite out of

 sight1 invites the thirsty passer-by to
 turn aside up a steep path to partake  
of cider or coffee4 ,it is a simple1    
almost bare room where the refreshment  
is served1 but its quaintness and       
shadowy coolness are most refreshing4   
,the fireplace has an open hearth with a
 wood fire which can soon be blown into 
a blaze by the big bellows that hang    
against the chimney corner4 ,a table by 
one of the windows is generally occupied
 in her spare moments by the farmer's   
pretty daughter who puts aside her      
knitting to fetch the cider or to blow  
up the fire for coffee4 ,they are a most
 genial family and seem to find infinite
 delight in plying ,english folk with   
questions for ,i imagine that not many  
find their way to this sequestered      
corner among waving trees and lovely    
orchards4  ,a sudden descent before     
reaching ,st ,pierre-sur-,dives gives a 
great view over the level country below 
where everything is brilliantly green   
and garden-like4 ,the village first     

shows its imposing church through the   
trees of a straight avenue leading      
towards the village which also possesses
 a fine ,market ,hall that must be at   
least six hundred years old4 ,the church
 is now undergoing restoration          
externally1 but by dodging the falling  
cement dust you may go inside1 perhaps  
to be disappointed that there is not    
more of the ,norman work that has been  
noticed in the southern tower that rises
 above the entrance4 ,the village1 or it
 should really be called a small town1  
for its population is over a thousand1  
has much in it that is attractive and   
quaint1 and it might gain more attention
 if everyone who passes through its     
streets were not hurrying forward to    
,falaise4  ,the country now becomes a   
great plain1 hedgeless1 and at times    
almost featureless4 ,the sun in the     
afternoon throws the shadows of the     
roadside trees at right angles1 so that 
the road becomes divided into accurate  
squares by the thin lines of shadow4    

,the straight run from ,st ,pierre is   
broken where the road crosses the       
,dives4 ,it is a pretty spot with a     
farm1 a manor-house and a washing place 
for women just below the bridge1 and    
then follows more open road and more    
interminable perspectives cutting       
through the open plain until1 with      
considerable satisfaction1 the great    
thoroughfare from ,caen is joined and   
soon afterwards a glimpse of the castle 
greets us as we enter ,falaise4  ,there 
is something peculiarly fascinating     
about ,falaise1 for it combines many of 
the features that are sparingly         
distributed in other towns4 ,its        
position on a hill with deep valleys on 
all sides1 its romantic castle1 the two 
beautiful churches and the splendid     
thirteenth century gateway1 form the    
best remembered attractions1 but beyond 
these there are the hundred and one     
pretty groupings of the cottages that   
crowd both banks of the little river    
,ante down in the valley under the      

awe-inspiring castle4  ,even then1 no   
mention has been made of the ancient    
fronts that greet one in many of the    
streets1 and the charms of some of the  
sudden openings between the houses that 
give views of the steep1 wooded hollows 
that almost touch the main street1 have 
been slighted4 ,a huge cube of solid    
masonry with a great cylindrical tower  
alongside perched upon a mass of rock   
precipitous on two sides is the distant 
view of the castle1 and coming closer1  
although you can see the buttresses that
 spring from the rocky foundations1 the 
description still holds good4 ,you      
should see the fortress in the twilight 
with a golden suffusion in the sky and  
strange1 purplish shadows on the castle 
walls4 ,it then has much the appearance 
of one of those unassailable strongholds
 where a beautiful princess is lying in 
captivity waiting for a chivalrous      
knight who with a band of faithful men  
will attempt to scale the inaccessible  
walls4 ,under some skies1 the castle    

assumes the character of one of         
,turner's impressions1 half real and    
half imaginary1 and under no skies does 
this most formidable relic of feudal    
days ever lose its grand and awesome    
aspect4 ,the entrance is through a      
gateway1 the ,porte ,st4 ,nicolas1 which
 was built in the thirteenth century4   
,there you are taken in hand by a       
pleasant concierge who will lead you    
first of all to the ,tour ,la ,reine1   
where he will point out a great breach  
in the wall made by ,henri ,,iv4 when he
 successfully assaulted the castle after
 a bombardment with his artillery which 
he had kept up for a week4 ,this was in 
#aehi1 and since then no other fighting 
has taken place round these grand old   
walls4 ,the ivy that clings to the ruins
 and the avenue of limes that leads up  
to the great keep are full of jackdaws  
which wheel round the rock in great     
flights4 ,you have a close view of the  
great ,tour ,talbot1 and then pass      
through a small doorway in the northern 

face of the citadel4 ,inside1 the       
appearance of the walls reveals the     
restoration which has taken place within
 recent years4 ,but this1 fortunately1  
does not detract to any serious extent  
from the interest of the whole place4   
,up on the ramparts there are fine views
 over the surrounding country1 and      
immediately beneath the precipice below 
nestle the picturesque1 browny-red roofs
 of the lower part of the town4 ,just at
 the foot of the castle rock there is   
still to be seen a tannery which is of  
rather unusual interest in connection   
with the story of how ,robert le ,diable
 was first struck by the charms of      
,arlette1 the beautiful daughter of a   
tanner4 ,the ,norman duke was supposed  
to have been looking over the           
battlements when he saw this girl       
washing clothes in the river1 and we are
 told that owing to the warmth of the   
day she had drawn up her dress1 so that 
her feet1 which are spoken of as being  
particularly beautiful were revealed to 

his admiring gaze4 ,arlette afterwards  
became the mother of ,william the       
,conqueror1 and the room is pointed out 
in the south-west corner of the keep in 
which we are asked to believe that the  
,conqueror of ,england was born4 ,it is1
 however1 unfortunate for the legend    
that archaeologists do not allow such an
 early date for the present castle1 and 
thus we are not even allowed to         
associate these ramparts with the legend
 just mentioned4 ,it must have been a   
strong building that preceded this      
present structure1 for during the       
eleventh century ,william the ,norman   
was often obliged to retreat for safety 
to his impregnable birthplace4 ,the     
,tour ,talbot has below its lowest floor
 what seems to be a dungeon1 but it is  
said that prisoners were not kept here1 
the place being used merely for storing 
food4 ,the gloomy chamber1 however1 is  
generally called an oubliette4 ,above1  
there are other floors1 the top one     
having been used by the governor of the 

castle4 ,in the thickness of the wall   
there is a deep well which now contains 
no water4 ,one of the rooms in the keep 
is pointed out as that in which ,prince 
,arthur was kept in confinement1 but    
although it is known that the           
unfortunate youth was imprisoned in this
 castle1 the selection of the room seems
 to be somewhat arbitrary4  ,in #adbh   
the news of ,joan of ,arc's continued   
successes was brought to the ,earl of   
,salisbury who was then governor of     
,falaise ,castle1 and it was from here  
that he started with an army to         
endeavour to stop that triumphal        
progress4 ,in #adej when the ,french    
completely overcame the numerous        
,english garrisons in the towns of      
,normandy1 ,falaise with its magnificent
 position held out for some time4 ,the  
defenders sallied out from the walls of 
the town but were forced back again1 and
 notwithstanding their courage1 the town
 capitulated to the ,duke of ,alencon's 
army at almost the same time as         

,avranches and a dozen other strongly   
defended towns4 ,we can picture to      
ourselves the men in glinting           
head-pieces sallying from the splendid  
old gateway known as the ,port des      
,cordeliers4 ,it has not lost its       
formidable appearance even to-day1      
though as you look through the archway  
the scene is quiet enough1 and the steep
 flight of outside steps leads up to    
scenes of quiet domestic life4 ,the     
windows overlook the narrow valley      
beneath where the humble roofs of the   
cottages jostle one another for space4  
,there are many people who visit        
,falaise who never have the curiosity to
 explore this unusually pleasing part of
 the town4 ,in the spring when the lilac
 bushes add their brilliant colour to   
the russet brown tiles and soft creams  
of the stone-work1 there are pictures on
 every side4 ,looking in the cottages   
you may see1 generally within a few feet
 of the door1 one of those ingenious    
weaving machines that are worked with a 

treadle1 and take up scarcely any space 
at all4 ,if you ask permission1 the     
cottagers have not the slightest        
objection to allowing you to watch them 
at their work1 and when one sees how    
rapidly great lengths of striped        
material grow under the revolving metal 
framework1 you wonder that ,falaise is  
not able to supply the demands of the   
whole republic for this class of        
material4  ,just by the ,hotel de ,ville
 and the church of ,la ,trinite stands  
the imposing statue of ,william the     
,conqueror4 ,he is mounted on the       
enormous war-horse of the period and the
 whole effect is strong and spirited4   
,the most notable feature of the        
exterior of the church of ,la ,trinite  
is the curious passage-way that goes    
underneath the ,lady ,chapel behind the 
,high ,altar4 ,the whole of the exterior
 is covered with rich carving1 crocketed
 finials1 innumerable gargoyles and the 
usual enriched mouldings of ,gothic     
architecture4 ,the charm of the interior

 is heightened if one enters in the     
twilight when vespers are proceeding4   
,there is just sufficient light to show 
up the tracery of the windows and the   
massive pointed arches in the choir4 ,a 
few candles burn by the altar beyond the
 dark mass of figures forming the       
congregation4 ,a ,gregorian chant fills 
the building with its solemn tones and  
the smoke of a swinging censer ascends  
in the shadowy chancel4 ,then1 as the   
service proceeds1 one candle above the  
altar seems to suddenly ignite the next1
 and a line of fire travels all over the
 great erection surrounding the figure  
of the ,virgin1 leaving in its trail a  
blaze of countless candles that throw   
out the details of the architecture in  
strong relief4 ,soon the collection is  
made1 and as the priest passes round the
 metal dish1 he is followed by the      
cocked-hatted official whose appearance 
is so surprising to those who are not   
familiar with ,french churches4 ,as the 
priest passes the dish to each row the  

official brings his metal-headed staff  
down upon the pavement with a noisy bang
 that is calculated to startle the      
unwary into dropping their money        
anywhere else than in the plate4 ,in    
time the bell rings beside the altar1   
and the priest robed in white and gold  
elevates the host before the kneeling   
congregation4 ,once more the man in the 
cocked hat becomes prominent as he steps
 into the open space between the        
transepts and tolls the big bell in the 
tower above4 ,then a smaller and much   
more cheerful bell is rung1 and fearing 
the arrival of another collecting priest
 we slip out of the swinging doors into 
the twilight that has now almost been   
swallowed up in the gathering darkness4 
,the consecration of the splendid       
,norman church of ,st ,gervais took     
place in the presence of ,henry ,i4 but 
there is nothing particularly ,english  
in any part of the exterior4 ,the       
central tower has four tall and deeply  
recessed arches 7the middle ones contain

 windows7 on each side1 giving a rich   
arcaded appearance4 ,above1 rises a tall
 pointed roof ornamented with four      
odd-looking dormers near the apex4      
,every one remarks on their similarity  
to dovecots and one almost imagines that
 they must have been built as a place of
 shelter on stormy days for the great   
gilded cock that forms the weather vane4
 ,the nave is still ,norman on the south
 side1 plain round-headed windows       
lighting the clerestory1 but the aisles 
were rebuilt in the flamboyant period   
and present a rich mass of ornament in  
contrast to the unadorned masonry of the
 nave4 ,the western end until lately had
 to endure the indignity of having its  
wall surfaces largely hidden by shops   
and houses4 ,these have now disappeared1
 but the stone-work has not been        
restored1 and you may still see a       
section of the interior of the house    
that formerly used the west end of the  
south aisle as one of its walls4 ,you   
can see where the staircases went1 and  

you may notice also how wantonly these  
domestic builders cut away the          
buttresses and architectural enrichments
 to suit the convenience of their own   
needs4  ,as you go from the market-place
 along the street that runs from ,st    
,gervais to the suburb of ,guibray1 the 
shops on the left are exchanged for a   
low wall over which you see deep1 grassy
 hollows that come right up to the edge 
of the street4 ,two fine houses1        
white-shuttered and having the usual    
vacant appearance1 stand on steep slopes
 surrounded by great cedars of ,lebanon 
and a copper beech4  ,the church of     
,guibray is chiefly ,norman--it is very 
white inside and there is some          
round-headed arcading in the aisles4    
,the clustered columns of the nave have 
simple1 pointed arches1 and there is a  
carved marble altarpiece showing angels 
supporting the ,virgin who is gazing    
upwards4 ,the aisles of the chancel are 
restored ,norman1 and the stone-work is 
bright green just above the floor       

through the dampness that seems to have 
defied the efforts of the restorers4    
,,chapter ,,vi   ,from ,argentan to     
,avranches  ,between tall poplars whose 
stems are splotched with grey lichen and
 whose feet are grown over with         
browny-green moss1 runs the road from   
,falaise to ,argentan1 straight and     
white1 with scarcely more than the      
slightest bend1 for the whole eight     
miles4 ,it is typical of the roads in   
this part of the country and beyond the 
large stone four or five kilometres     
outside ,falaise1 marking the boundary  
between ,calvados and ,orne1 and the    
railway which one passes soon           
afterwards1 there is nothing to break   
the undulating monotony of the boundless
 plain4  ,we cannot all hope to have    
this somewhat dull stretch of country   
relieved by any exciting event1 but ,i  
can remember one spring afternoon being 
overtaken by two mounted gendarmes in   
blue uniforms1 galloping for their very 
lives4 ,i looked down the road into the 

cloud of dust raised by the horses'     
hoofs1 but the country on all sides lay 
calm and deserted1 and ,i was left in   
doubt as to the reason for this         
astonishing haste4 ,half an hour        
afterwards a group of people appeared in
 the distance1 and on approaching       
closer1 they proved to be the two       
gendarmes leading their blown horses as 
they walked beside a picturesque group  
of apparently simple peasants1 the three
 men wearing the typical soft1 baggy cap
 and blue smock of the country folk4    
,the little group had a gloomy aspect1  
which was explained when ,i noticed that
 the peasants were joined together by a 
bright steel chain4 ,evidently something
 was very much amiss with one of the    
peaceful villages lying near the road4  
,after a time1 at the end of the long   
white perspective1 appear the towers of 
the great church of ,st ,germain that   
dominate the town where ,henry ,,ii4 was
 staying when he made that rash         
exclamation concerning his turbulent    

priest4 ,it was from ,argentan that     
those four knights set out for ,england 
and ,canterbury to carry out the deed1  
for which ,henry lay in ashes for five  
weeks in this very place4 ,but there is 
little at the present time at ,argentan 
to remind one that it is in any way     
associated with the murder of ,becket4  
,the castle that now exists is occupied 
by the ,courts of ,justice and was      
partially built in the ,renaissance     
period4 ,standing close to it1 is an    
exceedingly tall building with a great  
gable that suggests an ecclesiastical   
origin1 and on looking a little closer  
one soon discovers blocked up ,gothic   
windows and others from which the       
tracery has been hacked4 ,this was the  
chapel of the castle which has been so  
completely robbed of its sanctity that  
it is now cut up into small lodgings1   
and in one of its diminutive shops1     
picture post-cards of the town are sold4
  ,the ruins of the old castle are not  
very conspicuous1 for in the seventeenth

 century the great keep was demolished4 
,there is still a fairly noticeable     
round tower--the ,tour                  
,marguerite--which has a pointed roof   
above its corbels1 or perhaps they      
should be called machicolations4 ,in the
 ,place ,henri ,,iv4 stands a prominent 
building that projects over the pavement
 supported by massive pointed arches1   
and with this building in the foreground
 there is one of the best views of ,st  
,germain that one can find in the town4 
,just before coming to the clock that is
 suspended over the road by the porch of
 the church1 there is a butcher's shop  
at the street corner that has a piece of
 oak carving preserved on account of its
 interest while the rest of the building
 has been made featureless with even    
plaster4 ,the carving shows ,adam and   
,eve standing on either side of a formal
 ,tree of ,life1 and the butcher1 who is
 pleased to find a stranger who notices 
this little curiosity1 tells him with   
great pride that his house dates from   

the fifteenth century4 ,the porch of ,st
 ,germain is richly ornamented1 but it  
takes a second place to the south porch 
of the church of ,notre ,dame at        
,louviers and may perhaps seem scarcely 
worthy of comment after ,st ,maclou at  
,rouen4 ,the structure as a whole was   
commenced in #adbd1 and the last portion
 of the work only dates from the middle 
of the seventeenth century4 ,the        
vaulting of the nave has a very new and 
well-kept appearance and the side       
altars1 in contrast to so many of even  
the large churches1 are almost dignified
 in their somewhat restrained and       
classic style4 ,the high altar is a     
stupendous erection of two storeys with 
,corinthian pillars4 ,nine long1 white1 
pendant banners are conspicuous on the  
walls of the chancel4 ,the great altars 
and the lesser ones that crowd the side 
chapels are subject to the accumulation 
of dirt as everything else in buildings 
sacred or lay1 and at certain times of  
the day1 a woman may be seen vigorously 

flapping the brass candlesticks and     
countless altar ornaments with a big    
feather broom4 ,on the north side of the
 chancel some of the windows have       
sections of old painted glass1 and in   
one of them there is part of a ship with
 men in crow's nests backed by clouds1 a
 really vigorous colour scheme4         
,keeping to the high ground1 there is to
 the south of this church an open       
,place1 and beyond it there are some    
large barracks1 where1 on the other side
 of a low wall may be seen the          
elaborately prepared steeple-chase for  
training soldiers to be able to surmount
 every conceivable form of obstacle4    
,awkward iron railings1 wide ditches1   
walls of different composition and      
varying height are frequently scaled1   
and it is practice of this sort that has
 made the ,french soldier famous for the
 facility with which he can storm       
fortifications4 ,the river ,orne finds  
its way through the lower part of the   
town and here there are to be found some

 of the most pleasing bits of antique   
domestic architecture4 ,one of the      
quaintest of these built in #afaf is the
 galleried building illustrated here1   
and from a parallel street not many     
yards off there is a peep of a house    
that has been built right over the      
stream which is scarcely less           
picturesque4  ,illustration3 ,a         
,,seventeenth ,,century ,,house ,,at    
,,argentan  ,the church of ,st ,martin  
is passed on entering ,argentan from    
,falaise4 ,its east end crowds right up 
against the pavement and it is somewhat 
unusual to find the entrances at this   
portion of the building4 ,the stained   
glass in the choir of ,st ,martin is its
 most noticeable feature--the pictures  
showing various scenes in the life of   
,christ4  ,as in all ,french towns      
,argentan knows how to decorate on fete 
days4 ,coming out of the darkness of the
 church in the late twilight on one of  
these occasions1 ,i discovered that the 
town had suddenly become festooned with 

a long perspective of arches stretching 
right away down the leafy avenue that   
goes out of the town--to the north in   
one direction1 and to ,st ,germain in   
the other4 ,the arches were entirely    
composed without a single exception of  
large crimson-red ,chinese lanterns4    
,the effect was astonishingly good1 but 
despite all the decoration1 the         
townsfolk seemed determined to preserve 
the quiet of the ,sabbath1 and although 
there were crowds everywhere1 the only  
noise that broke the stillness was that 
of the steam round-about that had been  
erected on a triangular patch of grass4 
,the dark crowds of people illuminated  
by flaring lights stood in perfect quiet
 as they watched the great noisy mass of
 moving animals and boats1 occupied     
almost entirely by children1 keep up its
 perpetual dazzle and roar4 ,the        
fair--for there were many               
side-shows--was certainly quieter than  
any ,i have witnessed in ,england4  ,a  
long1 straight road1 poplar-bordered and

 level1 runs southwards from ,argentan  
to ,mortree1 a village of no importance 
except for the fact that one must pass  
through it if one wishes to visit the   
beautiful ,chateau d',o4 ,this sixteenth
 century mansion like so many to be seen
 in this part of ,france1 is in a       
somewhat pathetic state of disrepair1   
but as far as one may see from the      
exterior1 it would not require any very 
great sum to completely restore the     
broken stone-work and other signs of    
decay4 ,these1 while perhaps adding to  
the picturesqueness of the buildings1 do
 not bring out that aspect of carefully 
preserved antiquity which is the charm  
of most of the houses of this period in 
,england4 ,the great expanse of water in
 the moat is very green and covered by  
large tracts of weed1 but the water is  
supplied by a spring1 and fish thrive in
 it4 ,the approach to the chateau across
 the moat leads to an arched entrance   
through which you enter the large       
courtyard overlooked on three sides by  

the richly ornamented buildings1 the    
fourth side being only protected from   
the moat by a low wall4 ,it would be    
hard to find a more charming spot than  
this with its views across the moat to  
the gardens beyond1 backed by great     
masses of foliage4  ,going on past      
,mortree the main road will bring one   
after about eight miles to the old town 
of ,alencon1 which has been famed ever  
since the time of ,louis ,,xiv4 for the 
lace which is even at the present day   
worked in the villages of this          
neighbourhood1 more especially at the   
hamlet of ,damigny4 ,the cottagers use  
pure linen thread which is worth the    
almost incredible sum of #ajj per lb4   
,they work on parchment from patterns   
which are supplied by the merchants in  
,alencon4 ,the women go on from early   
morning until the light fails1 and earn 
something about a shilling per day6     
,the castle of ,alencon1 built by ,henry
 ,i4 in the twelfth century1 was pulled 
down with the exception of the keep1 by 

the order of ,henry of ,navarre1 the    
famous contemporary of ,queen           
,elizabeth4 ,this keep is still in      
existence1 and is now used as a prison4 
,near it is the ,palais de ,justice1    
standing where the other buildings were 
situated4  ,the west porch of the church
 of ,notre ,dame is richly ornamented   
with elaborate canopies1 here and there 
with statues4 ,one of these represents  
,st ,john1 and it will be seen that he  
is standing with his face towards the   
church4 ,a legend states that this      
position was taken by the statue when   
the church was being ransacked by       
,protestants in the sixteenth century4  
,another road from ,argentan is the     
great route nationale that runs in a    
fairly direct line to ,granville4 ,as   
one rides out of the town there is a    
pretty view on looking back1 of ,st     
,germain standing on the slight eminence
 above the ,orne4 ,keeping along by that
 river the road touches it again at the 
little town of ,ecouche4 ,the old market

 hall standing on massive pillars1 is   
the most attractive feature of the      
place4 ,its old tiled roof and          
half-timbered upper storey remind one   
forcibly of some of those fortunate old 
towns in ,england that have preserved   
this feature4 ,the church has lost its  
original nave1 and instead1 there is a  
curious barn-like structure1 built      
evidently with a view to economy1 being 
scarcely more than half the height of   
the original3 the vacant space has been 
very roughly filled up1 and the numerous
 holes and crevices support a fine      
growth of weeds1 and a strong young tree
 has also taken root in the ramshackle  
stone work4 ,from the central tower1    
gargoyles grin above the elaborately    
carved buttresses and finials in        
remarkable contrast to the jerry-built  
addition4  ,illustration3 ,,the ,,old   
,,market ,,house ,,at ,,ecouche         
,passing through rich country1 you leave
 the valley of the ,orne1 and on both   
sides of the road are spread wide and   

fascinating views over the orchard-clad 
country that disappears in the distant  
blue of the horizon4 ,wonderful patches 
of shadow1 when large clouds are flying 
over the heavens1 fall on this great    
tract of country and while in dull      
weather it may seem a little monotonous1
 in days of sunshine and shade it is    
full of a haunting beauty that is most  
remarkable4  ,about seven miles from    
,argentan one passes ,fromentelle1 a    
quiet hamlet full of thatched cottages  
and curious weathercocks1 and then five 
miles further on1 having descended into 
the valley of the little river ,rouvre1 
,briouze is entered4 ,here there is a   
wide and very extensive market-place    
with another quaint little structure1   
smaller than the one at ,ecouche1 but   
having a curious bell-turret in the     
centre of the roof4 ,on ,monday1 which  
is market day1 ,briouze presents a most 
busy scene1 and there are plenty of     
opportunities of studying the genial    
looking country farmers1 their wives1   

and the large carts in which they drive 
from the farms4 ,in the midst of the    
booths1 you may see a bronze statue     
commemorating the ,sapeurs1 pompiers and
 others of this little place who fell in
 #ahed4  ,leaving the main road which   
goes on to ,flers1 we may take the road 
to ,domfront1 which passes through three
 pretty villages and much pleasant      
country4 ,bellau1 the first village1 is 
full of quaint houses and charming      
old-world scenes4 ,the church is right  
in the middle on an open space without  
an enclosure of any description4        
,standing with one's back to this       
building1 there is a pretty view down   
the road leading to the south1 a patch  
of blue distance appearing in the       
opening between the old gables4 ,to all 
those who may wish to either paint or   
photograph this charming scene1 ,i would
 recommend avoiding the hour in the     
afternoon when the children come out of 
school4 ,i was commencing a drawing one 
sunny afternoon--it must have been about

 three o'clock--and the place seemed    
almost deserted4 ,indeed1 ,i had been   
looking for a country group of peasants 
to fill the great white space of sunny  
road1 when in twos and threes1 the      
juvenile population flooded out towards 
me4 ,for some reason which ,i could not 
altogether fathom1 the boys arranged    
themselves in a long1 regular line1     
occupying exactly one half of the view1 
the remaining space being filled by an  
equally long line of little girls4 ,all 
my efforts failed to induce the children
 to break up the arrangement they had   
made4 ,they merely altered their        
formation by advancing three or four    
paces nearer with almost military       
precision4 ,they were still standing in 
their unbroken rows when ,i left the    
village4  ,passing a curious roadside   
cross which bears the date #agda and a  
long ,latin inscription splashed over   
with lichen1 one arrives at ,la         
,ferriere aux ,etangs1 a quaint village 
with a narrow and steep street          

containing one conspicuously old1       
timber-framed house4 ,but it is scarcely
 necessary to point out individual      
cottages in this part of ,normandy1 for 
wherever one looks1 the cottages are    
covered with thick1 purply-grey thatch1 
and the walls below are of grey wooden  
framework1 filled in with plaster1      
generally coloured a creamy-white4 ,when
 there are deep shadows under the eaves 
and the fruit trees in blossom stand out
 against the dark thatch1 one can easily
 understand how captivating is the rural
 charm of this part of ,normandy4       
,gradually the road ascends1 but no     
great views are apparent1 although one  
is right above the beautiful valley of  
the ,varennes1 until quite near to      
,domfront4 ,then1 suddenly there appears
 an enormous stretch of slightly        
undulating country to the south and     
west4 ,as far as one can see1 the whole 
land seems to be covered by one vast    
forest4  ,but though part of this is    
real forest-land1 much of it is composed

 of orchards and hedgerow trees1 which  
are planted so closely together that1 at
 a short distance1 they assume the      
aspect of close-growing woods4 ,the     
first impression of the great stretch of
 forest-land does not lose its striking 
aspect1 even when one has explored the  
whole of the town4 ,the road that brings
 one into the old town runs along a     
ridge and after passing one of the      
remains of the old gateways1 it rises   
slightly to the highest part of the mass
 of rock upon which ,domfront is        
perched4 ,the streets are narrow and    
parallel to accommodate themselves to   
the confined space within the walls4 ,at
 the western end of the granite ridge1  
and separated from the town by a narrow 
defile1 stands all that is left of the  
castle--a massive but somewhat shapeless
 ruin4 ,at the western end of the       
ramparts1 one looks down a precipitous  
descent to the river ,varennes which has
 by some unusual agency1 cut itself a   
channel through the rocky ridge if it   

did not merely occupy an existing gap4  
,at the present time1 besides the river1
 the road and railway pass through the  
narrow gorge4  ,the castle has one of   
those sites that appealed irresistibly  
to the warlike barons of the eleventh   
century4 ,in this case it was ,william  
,i41 ,duc de ,belleme1 who decided to   
raise a great fortress on this rock that
 he had every reason to believe would   
prove an impregnable stronghold1 but    
although only built in #ajaa1 it was    
taken by ,duke ,william thirty-seven    
years later1 being one of the first     
brilliant feats by which ,william the   
,norman showed his strength outside his 
own ,duchy4 ,a century or more later1   
,henry ,,ii41 when at ,domfront1        
received the pope's nuncio by whom a    
reconciliation was in some degree       
patched up between the king and ,becket4
 ,richard ,i4 is known to have been at  
the castle at various times4 ,in the    
sixteenth century1 a most thrilling     
siege was conducted during the period   

when ,catherine de ,medicis was         
controlling the throne4 ,a ,royalist    
force1 numbering some seven or eight    
thousand horse and foot1 surrounded this
 formidable rock which was defended by  
the ,calvinist ,comte de ,montgommery4  
,with him was another ,protestant1      
,ambroise le ,balafre1 who had made     
himself a despot at ,domfront1 but whose
 career was cut short by one of         
,montgommery's men with whom he had     
quarrelled4 ,they buried him in the     
little church of                        
,notre-,dame-sur-l',eau--the wonderfully
 preserved ,norman building that one    
sees beneath one's feet when standing on
 the ramparts of the castle4 ,the body1 
however1 was not long allowed to remain 
there1 for when the royal army          
surrounded the castle they brought out  
the corpse and hung it in a conspicuous 
place to annoy the besieged4 ,like      
,corfe ,castle in ,england1 and many    
other magnificently fortified           
strongholds1 ,domfront was capable of   

defence by a mere handful4 ,in this case
 the original garrison consisted of one 
hundred and fifty1 and after many       
desertions the force was reduced to less
 than fifty4 ,a great breach had been   
made by the six pieces of artillery     
placed on the hill on the opposite side 
of the gorge1 and through this the      
besiegers endeavoured to enter4 ,the    
attenuated garrison1 with magnificent   
courage1 held the breach after a most   
desperate and bloody fight4 ,but after  
all this display of courage1 it was     
found impossible to continue the        
defence1 for by the next morning there  
were barely more than a dozen men left  
to fight4 ,finally ,montgommery was     
obliged to surrender unconditionally1   
and not long afterwards he was executed 
in ,paris4 ,you may see the breach where
 this terrible fight took place at the  
present day1 and as you watch the       
curious effects of the blue shadows     
falling among the forest trees that     
stretch away towards the south1 you may 

feel that you are looking over almost   
the same scene that was gazed upon by   
the notable figures in history who have 
made their exits and entrances at       
,domfront4  ,so little has the church of
 ,notre-,dame-sur-l',eau altered in its 
appearance since it was built by the    
,duc de ,belleme that1 were he to visit 
the ruins of his castle1 he would marvel
 no doubt that the men of the nine      
centuries which have passed1 should have
 consistently respected this sturdy     
little building4 ,there are traces of   
aisles having existed1 but otherwise the
 exterior of the church can have seen no
 change at all in this long period4     
,inside1 however1 the crude whitewash1  
the curious assemblage of enormous      
seventeenth century gravestones that are
 leant against the walls1 and the       
terribly jarring almost life-sized      
crucifix1 all give one that feeling of  
revulsion that is inseparable from an   
ill-kept place of worship4 ,on the banks
 of the river outside1 women may be seen

 washing clothes2 the sounds of the     
railway come from the station near by1  
and overhead1 rising above the foliage  
at its feet1 are the broken walls and   
shattered keep from which we have been  
gazing4  ,illustration3 ,,one ,,of ,,the
 ,,towers ,,in ,,the ,,walls ,,of       
,,domfront  ,the walls of the town1     
punctuated by many a quaint tower1 have 
lost their fearsome aspect owing to the 
domestic uses to which the towers are   
palpably devoted4 ,one of them appears  
in the adjoining illustration1 and it is
 typical of the half-dozen or so that   
still rise above the pretty gardens that
 are perched along the steep ascent4    
,but though ,domfront is full of almost 
thrilling suggestions of medievalism and
 the glamour of an ancient town1 yet    
there is a curious lack of picturesque  
arrangement1 so that if one were to be  
led away by the totally uninteresting   
photographs that may be seen in the     
shops1 one would miss one of the most   
unique spots in ,normandy4  ,stretching 

away towards ,flers1 there is a tract of
 green country all ups and downs1 but   
with no distant views except the peep of
 ,domfront that appears a few miles     
north of the town4 ,crowning the ridge  
of the hill is the keep of the castle1  
resembling a closed fist with the second
 finger raised1 and near it1 the        
bell-cote of the ,palais de ,justice and
 the spire of the church break the line 
of the old houses4 ,ferns grow by the   
roadside on every bank1 but the cottages
 and farms are below the average of     
rustic beauty that one soon demands in  
this part of ,france4  ,flers is a      
somewhat busy manufacturing town where  
cotton and thread mills have robbed the 
place of its charm4 ,at first sight one 
might imagine the church which bears the
 date #ahgj was of considerably greater 
age1 but inside one is almost astounded 
at the ramshackle galleries1 the        
white-washed roof of rough boards       
discoloured by damp1 and the general    
squalor of the place relieved only by a 

ponderous altar-piece of classic design4
 ,the castle is still in good           
preservation but although it dates from 
early ,norman times1 it is chiefly of   
the sixteenth century4  ,out in the     
country again1 going westwards1 the     
cottage industry of weaving is apparent 
in nearly every cottage one sees4 ,the  
loud click-a-ti-clack--click-a-ti-clack 
of the looms can be heard on every side 
as one passes such villages as          
,landisacq4 ,everywhere the scenery is  
exceedingly ,english1 the steep         
hillsides are often covered with        
orchards1 and the delicate green of the 
apple-trees in spring-time1             
half-smothered in pinky-white blossom1  
gives the country a garden-like aspect4 
,you may see a man harrowing a field on 
a sudden slope with a cloud of dust     
blowing up from the dry light soil1 and 
you may hear him make that curious      
hullaballooing by which the peasants    
direct their horses1 so different from  
the grunting way-yup there of the       

,english ploughman4 ,coming down a long 
descent1 a great stretch of country to  
the north that includes the battlefield 
of ,tinchebrai comes into view4 ,it is  
hard to associate the rich green        
pastures1 smiling orchards1 and peaceful
 cattle1 with anything so gruesome as a 
battle between armies led by brothers4  
,but it was near the little town of     
,tinchebrai that the two brothers1      
,henry ,i41 ,king of ,england1 and      
,robert ,duke of ,normandy fought for   
the possession of ,normandy4 ,henry's   
army was greatly superior to that of his
 brother1 for he had the valuable help  
of the ,counts of ,conches1 ,breteuil1  
,thorigny1 ,mortagne1 ,montfort1 and two
 or three others as powerful4 ,but      
despite all this array1 the battle for  
some time was very considerably in      
,robert's favour1 and it was only when  
,henry1 heavily pressed by his brother's
 brilliant charge1 ordered his reserves 
to envelop the rear1 that the great     
battle went in favour of the ,english   

king4 ,among the prisoners were ,robert 
and his youthful son ,william1 the      
,counts of ,mortain1 ,estouteville1     
,ferrieres1 and a large number of       
notable men4 ,until his death1          
twenty-seven years later1 ,henry kept   
his brother captive in ,cardiff ,castle1
 and it has been said that1 owing to an 
effort to escape1 ,henry was            
sufficiently lacking in all humane      
feelings towards his unfortunate        
brother1 to have both his eyes put out4 
,it seems a strange thing that exactly  
sixty years after the battle of         
,hastings1 a ,norman king of ,england1  
should conquer the country which had    
belonged to his father4  ,the old church
 of ,st ,remy at ,tinchebrai1 part of   
which dates from the twelfth century1   
has been abandoned for a new building1  
but the inn--the ,hotel ,lion           
d',or--which bears the date #afad1 is   
still in use4 ,vire1 however1 is only   
ten miles off1 and its rich mediaeval   
architecture urges us forward4          

,standing in the midst of the cobbled   
street1 there suddenly appears right    
ahead a splendid thirteenth century     
gateway--the ,tour de l',horloge--that  
makes one of the richest pictures in    
,normandy4 ,it is not always one can see
 the curious old tower thrown up by a   
blaze of gold in the west1 but those who
 are fortunate enough to see such an    
effect may get a small suggestion of the
 scene from the illustration given here4
 ,the little painted figure of the      
,virgin and ,child stands in a niche    
just over the arch1 and by it appears   
the prayer ,marie protege la ville6     
,one of the charms of ,vire is its      
cleanliness1 for ,i can recall no       
unpleasant smells having interfered with
 the pleasure of exploring the old      
streets4 ,there is a great market on the
 northern side of the town1 open and    
breezy4 ,it slopes clear away without   
any intervening buildings to a great    
expanse of green wooded country1        
suggestive of some of the views that lie

 all around one at ,avranches4 ,the dark
 old church of ,notre ,dame dates mainly
 from the twelfth century4 ,houses and  
small shops are built up against it     
between the buttresses in a familiar1   
almost confidential manner1 and on the  
south side1 the row of gargoyles have an
 almost humorous appearance4 ,the drips 
upon the pavement and shops below were  
evidently a nuisance1 and rain          
water-spouts1 with plain pipes leading  
diagonally from them1 have been attached
 to each grotesque head1 making it seem 
that the grinning monsters have         
developed a great and unquenchable      
thirst4 ,inside1 the church is dark and 
impressive4 ,there are double rows of   
pillars in the aisles1 and a huge       
crucifix hangs beneath the tower1 thrown
 up darkly against the chancel1 which is
 much painted and gilded4 ,the remains  
of the great castle consist of nothing  
more than part of the tall keep1 built  
eight hundred years ago1 and fortunately
 not entirely destroyed when the rest of

 the castle came down by the order of   
,cardinal ,richelieu4 ,an exploration of
 the quaint streets of ,vire will reveal
 two or three ancient gateways1 many    
gabled houses1 some of which are        
timber-framed visually1 and most of them
 are the same beneath their skins of    
plaster4 ,the houses in one of the      
streets are connected with the road by a
 series of wooden bridges across the    
river1 which there forms one of the many
 pictures to be found in ,vire4         
,mortain is separated from ,vire by     
fifteen miles of exceedingly hilly      
country1 and those who imagine that all 
the roads in ,normandy are the flat and 
poplar bordered ones that are so often  
encountered1 should travel along this   
wonderful switch-back4 ,as far as       
,sourdeval there seems scarcely a yard  
of level ground--it is either a sudden  
ascent or a breakneck rush into a       
trough-like depression4 ,you pass       
copices of firs and beautiful woods1    
although in saying beautiful it is in a 

limited sense1 for one seldom finds the 
really rich woodlands that are so       
priceless an ornament to many ,surrey   
and ,kentish lanes4 ,the road is shaded 
by tall trees when it begins to descend 
into the steep rocky gorge of the ,cance
 with its tumbling waterfalls that are a
 charming feature of this approach to   
,mortain4 ,high upon the rocks on the   
left appears an enormous gilded statue  
of the ,virgin1 in the grounds of the   
,abbaye ,blanche4 ,going downwards among
 the broken sunlight and shadows on the 
road1 ,mortain appears1 picturesquely   
perched on a great rocky steep1 and in  
the opening of the valley a blue haze   
suggests the great expanse of level     
country towards the south4 ,the big     
parish church of the town was built     
originally in #ajhb by that ,robert of  
,mortain1 who1 it will be remembered1   
was one of the first of the ,normans to 
receive from the victorious ,william a  
grant of land in ,england4 ,the great   
tower which stands almost detached on   

the south-west side is remarkable for   
its enormously tall slit windows1 for   
they run nearly from the ground to the  
saddle-back roof4 ,the interior of this 
church is somewhat unusual1 the nave and
 chancel being structurally one1 and the
 aisles are separated by twenty-four    
circular grey pillars with ,corinthian  
capitals4 ,the plain surfaces of the    
walls and vaulting are absolutely clean 
white1 picked out with fine black lines 
to represent stone-work--a scarcely     
successful treatment of such an         
interior6 ,on either side of the ,high  
,altar stand two great statues          
representing ,st ,guillaume and ,st     
,evroult4  ,to those who wish to do all 
the sights of ,mortain there is the     
,chapel of ,st ,michael1 which stands   
high up on the margin of a great rocky  
hill1 but the building having been      
reconstructed about fifty years ago1 the
 chief attraction to the place is the   
view1 which in tolerably clear weather1 
includes ,mont ,st ,michel towards which

 we are making our way4  ,a perfectly   
straight and fairly level stretch of    
road brings you to ,st                  
,hilaire-du-,harcout4 ,on the road one  
passes two or three large country houses
 with their solemn and perfectly        
straight avenues leading directly up to 
them at right angles from the road4 ,the
 white jalousies seem always closed1 the
 grass on the lawns seems never cut1 and
 the whole establishments have a        
pathetically deserted appearance to the 
passer-by4 ,a feature of this part of   
the country can scarcely be believed    
without actually using one's eyes4 ,it  
is the wooden chimney-stack1 covered    
with oak shingles1 that surmounts the   
roofs of most of the cottages4 ,where   
the shingles have fallen off1 the cement
 rubble that fills the space between the
 oak framing appears1 but it is scarcely
 credible that1 even with this partial  
protection1 these chimneys should have  
survived so many centuries4 ,i have     
asked the inmates of some of the        

cottages whether they ever feared a fire
 in their chimneys1 but they seemed to  
consider the question as totally        
unnecessary1 for some providence seems  
to have watched over their frail        
structures4  ,st ,hilaire has a brand   
new church and nothing picturesque in   
its long1 almost monotonous1 street4    
,instead of turning aside at            
,pontaubault towards ,mont ,st ,michel1 
we will go due north from that hamlet to
 the beautifully situated ,avranches4   
,this prosperous looking town used1 at  
one time1 to have a large ,english      
colony1 but it has recently dwindled to 
such small dimensions that the ,english 
chaplain has an exceedingly small       
parish4 ,the streets seem to possess a  
wonderful cleanliness2 all the old      
houses appear to have made way for      
modern buildings which1 in a way1 give  
,avranches the aspect of a              
watering-place1 but its proximity to the
 sea is more apparent in a map than when
 one is actually in the town4 ,on one   

side of the great place in front of the 
church of ,notre ,dame des ,champs is   
the ,jardin des ,plantes4 ,to pass from 
the blazing sunshine and loose gravel1  
to the dense green shade of the trees in
 this delightful retreat is a pleasure  
that can be best appreciated on a hot   
afternoon in summer4 ,the shade1        
however1 and the beds of flowers are not
 the only attractions of these gardens4 
,their greatest charm is the wonderful  
view over the shining sands and the     
glistening waters of the rivers ,see and
 ,selune that1 at low tide1 take their  
serpentine courses over the delicately  
tinted waste of sand that occupies ,st  
,michael's ,bay4 ,out beyond the little 
wooded promontory that protects the     
mouth of the ,see1 lies ,mont ,st       
,michel1 a fretted silhouette of flat   
pearly grey1 and a little to the north  
is ,tombelaine1 a less pretentious islet
 in this fairyland sea4 ,framed by the  
stems and foliage of the trees1 this    
view is one of the most fascinating in  

,normandy4 ,one would be content to stay
 here all through the sultry hours of a 
summer day1 to listen to the distant hum
 of conversation among white-capped     
nursemaids1 as they sew busily1 giving  
momentary attention to their charges4   
,but ,avranches has an historical spot  
that no student of history1 and indeed  
no one who cares anything for the       
picturesque events that crowd the pages 
of the chronicles of ,england in the    
days of the ,norman kings1 may miss4 ,it
 is the famous stone upon which ,henry  
,,ii4 knelt when he received absolution 
for the murder of ,becket at the hands  
of the papal legate4 ,to reach this     
stone is1 for a stranger1 a matter of   
some difficulty4 ,from the ,place by the
 ,jardin des ,plantes1 it is necessary  
to plunge down a steep descent towards  
the railway station1 and then one climbs
 a series of zigzag paths on a high     
grassy bank that brings one out upon the
 ,place ,huet4 ,in one corner1          
surrounded by chains and supported by   

low iron posts1 is the historic stone4  
,it is generally thickly coated with    
dust1 but the brass plate affixed to a  
pillar of the doorway is quite legible4 
,these1 and a few fragments of carved   
stone that lie half-smothered in long   
grass and weeds at a short distance from
 the railed-in stone1 are all that      
remain of the cathedral that existed in 
the time of ,henry ,,ii4  ,it must have 
been an impressive scene on that ,sunday
 in ,may #aagb1 when the papal legate1  
in his wonderful robes1 stood by the    
north transept door1 of which only this 
fragment remains1 and granted absolution
 to the sovereign1 who1 kneeling in all 
humbleness and submission1 was relieved 
of the curse of excommunication which   
had been laid on him after the tragic   
affair in the sanctuary at ,canterbury4 
,in place of the splendid cathedral1    
whose nave collapsed1 causing the       
demolition of the whole building in     
#agii1 there is a new church with the   
two great western towers only carried up

 to half the height intended for them4  
,from the roadway that runs along the   
side of the old castle walls in terrace 
fashion there is another wonderful view 
of rich green country1 through which1 at
 one's feet1 winds the river ,see4 ,away
 towards the north-west the road to     
,granville can be seen passing over the 
hills in a perfectly straight line4 ,but
 this part of the country may be left   
for another chapter4