CHAPTER XIV. The Château de la Garaye.-The Savage.-The Ruins.-The Lamb. The Châtelain.-Country Life.-The Charge.Poor employed.-Establishments.-St. Esprit.-Les Incurables. Ruined Village.-The desolate Cross.-Primitive Threshing-floors. ITHIN a walk of Dinan, through a series of pretty lanes, is the Château de la Garaye, or rather the ruins of a fine mansion of the period of Francis I. Its walls and one tower alone exist, the rest has been taken down or destroyed by the weather; blocks of stone lie about in confused masses amongst the grass and weeds that encumber the ruin, a farmhouse is built upon the foundation, and a slovenly garden, left to neglect, surrounds it. A very long broad walk conducts to the entrance, which once, of course, was ornamented with several rows of fine trees now no more in existence. Blocks of fine white marble, some capitals and broken VOL. I. Q 226 THE SAVAGE. columns are scattered about; the desolation is, in fact, complete, and, except on a bright summer's day, such as it was when we saw it, the whole scene must, from its low situation, be damp and dismal enough. The farm appears, however, to be a substantial one, with extensive outhouses attached, and we observed a good many workmen employed, principally in threshing corn; yet the proprietor can be content to live in the midst of such discomfort as winter weather and rains must bring him every year, although by clearing away some of the rubbish around, he could render his ruins ornamental, and induce visitors to come whose contributions would repay any trouble he might take: but, as this is not the case, you must scramble along as well as you can to get to the pretty tower, whose sculptured front and beautifully carved ornaments prove how worthy of admiration the building once was. We were contemplating this, when a wildlooking figure of a man suddenly appeared before us, and in a jargon which I supposed to be Breton, offered to guide us where we could have a better view: though we did not much admire his manner nor his looks, we felt almost afraid to refuse, and followed him as he stalked gloomily before us across a little deso THE SAVAGE. 227 late ruined bridge into a more miserable-looking court than we had seen before-it seemed the interior of one of the rooms by the remains of a fire-place, and the size of the ivy-covered walls through rank grass and weeds we waded on, when, with a half-savage grin and bound, the guide reached a pile of broken stones and invited us to ascend. I was weak enough to give him my hand to mount to where he pointed, exclaiming "Bieaux ici!" but found, when I had gained the point desired, and stood perched on a single stone by the side of the halfclad being, whose wild black hair hung over his shoulders, and whose naked feet clung like those of an ape to the ruin-that the only thing to see was a mass of brick and stone huddled together in what might have been a cellar, and beyond that, a deep dark abyss, which I instantly conjured into a frightful oubliette! there was something so unearthly in the expression of the man who held my wrist tight, something so fearful in the den below, and the gloomy scene around, that I was alarmed, and disengaging my arm, gave a spring back and reached the ground. 1 This feat of mine was followed by a low chuckling laugh from the savage, immediately succeeded by an ominous scowl. We were two females |