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als　of　both　sexes　whom　she　encountered　at　the　/table　d'hote/。　She　soon　gained　an　increase　of　occupation。　With　her；　mind　and　heart　were　so　constantly　on　the　alert　that　it　was　impossible　for　her　to　remain　a　week　in　a　place　without　discovering　some　work　of　charity　to　be　performed。　A　woman　to　whom　she　had　taken　a　fancy；　a　little　shopkeeper　of　the　place；　interested　her　in　her　daughter；　who　was　destined　to　be　a　governess；　and　who　desired　to　learn　drawing。　Antoinette　undertook　to　give　her　drawing…lessons；　making　her　come　every　day　to　the　hotel；　and　often　keeping　her　there　several　hours。　Her　pupil　was　rather　dull　of　comprehension；　and　caused　her　to　grow　a　little　cross　sometimes；　but　she　always　made　amends　to　the　girl　by　her　caresses　and　sprightly　talk。

The　weather　became　fine　again。　Antoinette　availed　herself　of　the　opportunity　to　take　long　promenades；　she　clambered　up　the　mountain…　slopes；　over　slippery　turf；　in　the　hope　of　carrying　home　some　rare　plant；　but　her　strength　was　not　equal　to　her　valourshe　could　not　succeed　in　scaling　those　heights　where　flourished　the　/Edelweiss/。　A　week　after　her　arrival　she　had　a　surprise；　we　might　even　say　a　pleasurable　emotion；　which　was　not　comprised　in　the　programme　of　amusements　that　the　proprietor　of　Hotel　Badrutt　undertook　to　procure　for　his　guests。　Returning　from　an　excursion　to　Lake　Silvaplana；　she　found　in　her　chamber　a　basket　containing　a　veritable　sheaf　of　Alpine　flowers；　freshly　gathered；　and　among　them　not　only　/Edelweiss/　in　profusion；　but　several　very　rare　plants；　and　the　rarest　of　all　a　certain　bell…flower　creeper；　which　smells　like　the　apricot；　and　which；　except　in　some　districts　of　the　Engadine；　is　only　found　now　in　Siberia。　This　splendid　bouquet　was　accompanied　by　a　note；　thus　conceived：

　〃A　man　who　had　had　enough　of　life；　resolved　to　hang　himself。　To　　　execute　his　dolorous　design；　he　selected　a　lonely　and　dismal　spot；　　　where　there　grew　a　solitary　oak；　whose　sap　was　nearly　exhausted。　　　As　he　was　engaged　in　securing　his　cord；　a　bird　alighted　on　the　　　half…dead　tree　and　began　to　sing。　The　man　said　to　himself：　'Since　　　there　is　no　spot　so　miserable　that　a　bird　will　not　deign　to　sing　　　in　it；　I　will　have　the　courage　to　live。'　And　he　lived。

　〃I　arrived　in　this　village　disgusted　with　life；　sorrowful　and　so　　　weary　that　I　longed　to　die。　I　saw　you　pass　by；　and　I　know　not　what　　　mysterious　virtue　entered　into　me。　I　will　live。

　〃　'What　matters　it　to　me？'　you　will　say；　in　reading　these　lines；　　　and　you　will　be　right。　My　sole　excuse　for　having　written　them　is；　　　that　I　will　leave　here　in　a　few　days；　that　you　never　will　see　me　　　again；　never　know　who　I　am！〃

The　first　impression　of　Antoinette　was　one　of　profound　astonishment。　She　would　have　taken　it　for　granted　that　there　was　some　mistake　had　not　her　name　been　written　in　full　on　the　envelope。　Her　second　impulse　was　to　laugh　at　her　adventure。　She　accorded　full　justice　to　Mlle。　Moriaz；　she　knew　very　well　that　she　did　not　resemble　the　first　chance　comer；　but　that　her　beauty　would　work　miracles；　resurrections；　that　a　hypochondriac；　merely　from　seeing　her　pass　by；　was　likely　to　regain　his　taste　for　existence；　scarcely　appeared　admissible　to　her。　So　great　was　her　curiosity；　that　she　took　the　pains　to　make　inquiries；　the　flowers　and　the　letter　had　been　left　by　a　little　peasant；　who　was　not　of　the　place；　and　who　could　not　be　found。　Antoinette　examined　the　hotel…register；　she　did　not　see　there　the　handwriting　of　the　letter。　She　studied　the　faces　which　surrounded　her；　there　was　not　in　Hotel　Badrutt　a　single　romantic…looking　person。　Very　speedily　she　renounced　her　search。　The　bouquet　pleased　her；　she　kept　it　as　a　present　fallen　from　the　skies；　and　preserved　the　letter　as　a　curiosity；　without　long　troubling　herself　to　know　who　had　written　it。　〃Do　not　let　us　talk　about　it　any　more；　it　is　doubtless　some　lunatic；〃　she　replied　one　day　to　Mlle。　Moiseney；　who　kept　constantly　recurring　to　the　incident　whose　mystery　she　burned　to　fathom。　The　good　demoiselle　had　been　tempted　to　stop　people　in　the　road　to　ask；　〃Was　it　you？〃　Perchance　she　might　have　suspected　her　Bergun　unknown　to　have　a　hand　in　the　affair；　had　she　had　the　least　idea　that　he　was　at　Saint　Moritz；　where　she　never　had　met　him。　He　came　there；　nevertheless；　every　day；　but　at　his　own　time；　besides；　the　hotels　were　full　to　overflowing；　and　it　was　very　easy　to　lose　one's　self　in　the　crowd。

To　tell　the　truth；　when　Count　Abel　Larinski　came　to　Saint　Moritz　he　was　far　less　occupied　with　Mlle。　Moriaz　than　with　a　certain　illustrious　chemist。　The　air　of　the　Engadine　and　the　waters　that　tasted　like　ink　had　worked　marvels：　in　a　week　M。　Moriaz　felt　like　a　new　man。　There　had　come　to　him　a　most　formidable　appetite；　and　he　could　walk　for　hours　at　a　time　without　becoming　weary。　He　abused　his　growing　strength　by　constantly　strolling　through　the　mountains　without　a　guide；　hammer　in　hand；　and　every　day；　in　spite　of　the　remonstrances　of　his　daughter；　he　increased　the　length　of　his　excursions。　The　more　people　know；　the　more　inquisitive　they　become；　and；　when　one　is　inquisitive；　one　can　go　to　great　lengths　without　feeling　fatigue；　one　only　becomes　conscious　of　this　after　the　exertion　is　over。　M。　Moriaz　never　for　a　moment　suspected　that　he　was　accompanied；　at　a　respectful　distance；　on　these　solitary　expeditions；　by　a　stranger；　who；　with　eyes　and　ears　both　on　the　alert；　watched　over　him　like　a　providence。　The　most　peculiar　part　of　the　affair　was　that　this　providence　would　gladly　have　caused　him　to　take　a　misstep；　or　thrust　him　into　some　quagmire；　in　order　to　have　the　pleasure　of　drawing　him　out；　and　bearing　him　in　his　arms　to　the　Hotel　Badrutt。　〃If　only　he　could　fall　into　a　hole　and　break　his　leg！〃　Such　was　the　daily　wish　of　Count　Abel　Larinski；　but　/savants/　have　great　license　allowed　them。　Although　M。　Moriaz　was　both　corpulent　and　inclined　to　be　absent…minded；　he　plunged　into　more　than　one　quagmire　without　sticking　fast；　more　than　one　marsh　without　having　his　progress　impeded。

One　morning　he　conceived　the　project　of　climbing　up　as　high　as　a　certain　fortress　of　mountains　whose　battlements　overhang　a　forest　of　pine　and　larch　trees。　He　was　not　yet　sufficiently　accustomed　to　the　mountains　to　realize　how　deceptive　distances　become　there。　After　having　drained　two　glasses　of　the　chalybeate　waters；　and　breakfasted　heartily；　he　set　out；　crossed　the　Inn；　and　began　the　ascent　to　the　forest。　The　slope　grew　more　and　more　abrupt；　and　ere　long　he　discovered　that　he　had　wandered　from　the　foot…path。　He　was　not　one　to　be　easily　disheartened；　he　continued　climbing；　laying　hold　of　the　brushwood　with　his　hands；　planting　his　feet　among　perfidious　pine…　needles；　which　form　a　carpet　as　smooth　as　a　mirror；　making　three　steps　forward　and　two　backward。　Great　drops　of　perspiration　started　out　on　his　brow；　and　he　sat　down　for　a　moment　to　wipe　them　away；　hoping　that　some　wood…cutter　might　appear　and　show　him　the　way　back　to　the　path；　if　there　was　one。　But　no　human　soul　came　within　sight；　and　plucking　up　his　courage　again　he　resumed　the　ascent；　until　he　had　nearly　reached　a　breastwork　of　rock；　in　which　he　vainly　sought　an　opening。　He　was　about　retracing　his　steps　when　he　remembered　that　from　the　gallery　of　the　hotel　he　had　observed　this　breastwork　of　reddish　rock；　and　it　seemed　to　him　that　he　remembered　also　that　it　formed　the　buttress　of　the　mountain…stronghold　of　which　he　was　in　quest；　and　so　he　concluded　that　this　would　be　the　last　obstacle　he　would　have　to　overcome。　He　thought　that　it　would　be　actually　humiliating　to　be　so　near　the　goal　and　yet　renounce　it。　The　rock；　worn　by　the　frost；　presented　sundry　crevices　and　indentures；　forming　a　natural　stairway。　Arming　himself　with　all　his　strength；　and　making　free　use　of　his　nails；　he　undertook　to　scale　it；　and　in　five　minutes　had　gained　a　sort　of　plateau；　which；　unluckily　for　him；　he　found　to　be　commanded　by　a　smooth　granite　wall　of　a　fearful　height。　The　only　satisfactory　procedure　for　him　now　was　to　return　whence　he　had　come；　but　in　these　perilous　passages　to　ascend　is　easier　than　to　descend；　it　being　impossible　to　choose　one's　steps；　descent　might　lead　to　a　rather　undesirable　adventure。　M。　Moriaz　did　not　dare　to　risk　this　adventure。

He　walked　the　whole　length　of　the　plateau　where　he　found　himself　in　the　hope　of　discovering　some　outlet；　but　the　sole　outlet　he　could　discover　had　already　been　monopolized　by　a　mountain…torrent　whose　troubled　waters　noisily　precipitated　themselves　through　it　to　the　depths　below。　This　torrent　was　much　too　wide　to　wade；　and　to　think　of　leaping　over　it　would　have　been　preposterous。　All　retreat　being　cut　off；　M。　Moriaz　began　to　regret　his　audacity。　Seized　by　a　sudden　agony　of　alarm；　he　began　to　ask　himself　if　he　was　not　condemned　to　end　his　days　in　this　eagle's…nest；　he　thought　with　envy　of　the　felicity　of　the　inhabitants　of　the　plains；　he　cast　piteous　glances　at　the　implacable　wall　whose　frowning　visage　seemed　to　reproach　him　with　his　imprudence。　It　seemed　to　him　that　the　human　mind　never　had　devised　anything　more　beautiful　than　a　great　highway；　and　it　would　have　taken　little　to　make　him　exclaim　with　Panurge；　〃Oh；　thriceay；　quadruplyhappy　those　who　plant　cabbages！〃

Although　there　seemed　small　chance　of　his　being　heard　in　this　solitude；　he　called　aloud　several　times；　he