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common parlance among ourselves. It was
highly amusing to see them at dinner, —
while Vinegar was grumbling and expressing
his dislike of the place, his want of
faith in the waters, and his disinclination
to e a t; Oil, with the most placid good nature,
looked round the table for the choicest
morceau to put by stealth on the plate of
his friend, who generally muttered his disapprobation
at first, but was always coaxed
into eating a good dinner. *
* The terms we paid at L’Hotel de la Poste, were
six francs per day each, for dinner, supper, wine, apartments
and linen, with a basin of bouillon in the morning.
Those who prefer an English breakfast, provide
it at their own expence, as also tea or coffee in the
afternoon. There are several respectable boardinghouses,
where the terms are nearly the same.
CHAP. IV.
T H E L A K E O F B O U R G E T . M O N A S T E R Y O F H A U T E
C O M B E . - - - - - V I C I N I T Y O F C H A M B E R R Y . L E S
C H A R M E T T E S .
T h e valley in which Aix les Bains, in
Savoy, is situated, is extremely fertile, producing
abundant crops of wheat, also vines,
fruit, and silk-worms. I have before mentioned
that the valley extends from Chamberry
to the lake of Bourget, running
nearly due north ; its width, including the
breadth of the lake, varies from two to
five miles. The mountains on each side
rise to the height of from 3000 to 4000 fe e t;
those on the eastern side present their bare
escarpments to the valley. The Montagne
dll Chat, on the west, is a steep, sharp ridge,
which extends from several miles southwest
of Chamberry, to the lake de Bourget,
which it approaches near its southern
extremity. It then forms the western bank
of the lake, dipping into the water at an
angle of sixty degrees, affording no space
K 3
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