Spiers: Memoranda of an autumn tour in 1836

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CONT. AUG. 18. THUR.

about 40, married to a man upward of 70, a draper, grocer & dealer in all things & one of the under keepers of the forest." Twelve years had rendered her a widow but had altered little otherwise in her condition or appearance. She still preserved the power of expressing herself volubly & in strong terms but her memory did not serve her to bring to mind "ses beaux yeaux". We were a little vexed & surprised to learn that he had left the place in her debt to a small amount ?too of 99 francs, under £4. He had left with her in pledge his writing case & some manuscripts, all of which she said she had scrupulously preserved. Unfortunately for us she had hidden them in so secure a place as to be unable to find the manuscripts, or the note of hand he had given her, although we stayed in the town an hour later than we intended for the sole purpose. The writing case we saw & offered to buy at a moderate price but she wanted 30 francs for it, 3 times its value. We would have compounded for his debt to have been the purchaser of his manuscripts.

The time of our departure at length arrived & heartily shaking hands with M. Coutelier we jumped into a country car we had hired of him & jogged on as fast on the rough road would allow us towards the high road to Luxembourg, where we proposed waiting for the diligence. Through the wood of St Hubert again did our course lie for some 6 or 8 miles, much of it we walked, but the car saved us an hour or more of time & the weight of our knapsack. Edward took the reins & effected wonders with the rough shaggy coated animal who drew it. I regret much that I was disappointed with the wood. If I had not read Inglis' account of it I should have admired it more, because it forms really a very pretty road to travel by, but either from my mistaking his report of one part of it for its general character or from his having exaggerated its features I found few of the splendid beauties I had led myself to expect. The trees are none of them of that fine large character which one sees in England, scarcely any of a foot diameter or of any commanding height. But enough of this for we are arrived at Champlon Ardennes to which place we had engaged the car & we have

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