The Abbey Of Marmoutier, Which Sprung From The Grottos In The Cliff To Which Saint Gatianus And Saint Martin Re- Tired To Pray, Was Therefore The Creation Of The Latter Worthy, As The Other Great Abbey, In The Town Proper, Was The Monument Of His Repose.

The cliff is still there; and a winding staircase, in the latest taste, en- ables you conveniently to explore its recesses.

These sacred niches are scooped out of the rock, and will give you an impression if you cannot do without one. You will feel them to be sufficiently venerable when you learn that the particular pigeon-hole of Saint Gatianus, the first Christian missionary to Gaul, dates from the third century. They have been dealt with as the Catholic church deals with most of such places to- day; polished and furnished up; labelled and ticketed, - _edited,_ with notes, in short, like an old book. The process is a mistake, - the early editions had more sanctity. The modern buildings (of the Sacred Heart), on which you look down from these points of vantage, are in the vulgar taste which seems doomed to stamp itself on all new Catholic work; but there was never- theless a great sweetness in the scene. The afternoon was lovely, and it was flushing to a close. The large garden stretched beneath us, blooming with fruit and wine and succulent vegetables, and beyond it flowed the shining river. The air was still, the shadows were long, and the place, after all, was full of memories, most of which might pass for virtuous.

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