As I have already said, the maire’s style of talking required a good deal of breath, and so it was not unnatural that the ascent should reduce him to silence.  The schoolmaster talked freely about scholastic affairs, and gave me an account of the ordinary tariff in village schools, though each commune may alter the prices of its school if it please.  Under seven years of age, children pay 4 francs a year, or, for shorter periods than a year, at the rate of 75 centimes a month; between seven and thirteen, 6 francs a year, or 1 franc a month; from thirteen to eighteen, 8 francs a year, or 1 f. 50 c. a month.  There is the same difficulty in France, of course, as with us, in keeping children at school after they are old enough to earn a few centimes by cattle-keeping; and the Ministry of Education had shortly before addressed questions to every schoolmaster in the country, asking what remedy each could suggest.  My present friend had replied, that if the Government would give the education gratis, something might be done; but he had expressed his opinion that nothing short of an actual subsidy to parents of children beyond eight or nine years of age would ensure a general improvement.

Having given me this information, he observed that it was every man’s business to learn, though he and I might be teachers also, and therefore he was sure monsieur would pardon him if he asked what those black patches on monsieur’s hands might mean,—­pointing to certain large areas of Epsom plaster which covered the tokens of many glacieres.  When his mind was set at rest as to this phenomenon, the maire called a halt, and took his turn of talking.  He began to tell me about himself and his wealth, Rosset backing him up and putting in the most telling parts.  He had very extensive property, and the more level parts of it were certainly valuable, consisting of 200 journaux of good arable land:  the forests through which we walked were his, and he possessed three montagnes and chalets higher up on the mountain.  The glaciere was his own property; and two years ago he had discovered another in the neighbourhood, which he had not since visited.  He was assisted in his capacity of maire by twelve councillors—­in a larger commune it would have been fifteen—­and the council met four times in the year.  If it was desirable that they should meet on any other occasion, he must write to the prefect of the arrondissement for permission, specifying the business which they wished to conduct, and to this specified business they must confine themselves entirely.  Then he wished to know, had we maires such as he in England?  Hereupon I drew a fancy picture of the Lord Mayor of London, receiving the Queen and the Royal Family in general in a friendly way, and giving them a dinner,—­which, he observed, must cost a good deal, a great deal.  However, he looked round upon his fields and houses and mountains, and seemed to think that he could himself stand a considerable drain upon his purse for the