Produced by John Roberts, Anne Soulard, Charles Franks,
and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.
IN AND OUT OF THREE NORMANDY INNS
BY
ANNA BOWMAN DODD
[Illustration: GUILLAUME-LE-CONQUERANT-DIVES]
TO EDMUND CLARENCE STEDMAN.
_My Dear Mr. Stedman:
To this little company of Norman men and women, you will, I know,extend a kindly greeting, if only because of their nationality. To yourcourtesy, possibly, you will add the leaven of interest, when youperceive—as you must—that their qualities are all their own, theirdefects being due solely to my own imperfect presentment.
With sincere esteem_,
ANNA BOWMAN DODD.
New York.
CONTENTS.
VILLERVILLE.
I. A LANDING ON THE COAST OF FRANCE II. A SPRING DRIVE III.FROM AN INN WINDOW IV. OUT ON A MUSSEL-BED V. THE VILLAGE VI.A PAGAN COBBLER VII. SOME NORMAN LANDLADIES VIII. THE QUARTIERLATIN ON THE BEACH IX. A NORMAN HOUSEHOLD X. ERNESTINE
ALONG AN OLD POST-ROAD.
XI. TO AN OLD MANOIR XII. A NORMAN CURE XIII. HONFLEUR—NEWAND OLD
DIVES.
XIV. A COAST DRIVE XV. GUILLAUME-LE-CONQUERANT XVI. THE GREENBENCH XVII. THE WORLD THAT CAME TO DIVES XVIII. THE CONVERSATION OFPATRIOTS XIX. IN LA CHAMBRE DES MARMOUSETS
TWO BANQUETS AT DIVES.
XX. A SEVENTEENTH CENTURY REVIVAL XXI. THE AFTER-DINNER TALK OFTHREE GREAT LADIES XXII. A NINETEENTH CENTURY BREAKFAST
A LITTLE JOURNEY ALONG THE COAST.
XXIII. A NIGHT IN A CAEN ATTIC XXIV. A DAY AT BAYEUX AND ST. LO XXV.A DINNER AT COUTANCES XXVI. A SCENE IN A NORMAN COURT XXVII. THEFETE-DIEU—A JUNE CHRISTMAS XXVIII. BY LAND TO MONT ST. MICHEL
MONT ST. MICHEL.
XXIX. BY SEA TO THE POULARD INN XXX. THE PILGRIMS AND THESHRINE—AN HISTORICAL OMELETTE
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
GUILLAUME-LE-CONQUERANT—DIVES A VILLAGE STREET—VILLERVILLE ON THEBEACH—VILLERVILLE A SALE OF MUSSELS—VILLERVILLE A VILLERVILLEFISH-WIFE A DEPARTURE—VILLERVILLE THE INN ATDIVES—GUILLAUME-LE-CONQUERANT CHAMBRE DE LA PUCELLE—DIVES CHAMBRE DESMARMOUSETS—DIVES MADAME DE SÉVIGNÉ CHAMBRE DE LA PUCELLE—DIVESCHATEAU FONTAINE LE HENRI, NEAR CAEN AN EXCITING MOMENT—A COUTANCESINTERIOR A STREET IN COUTANCES—EGLISE SAINT-PIERRE MONT SAINT MICHELMONT SAINT MICHEL SNAIL-GATHERERS
VILLERVILLE.
AN INN BY THE SEA.
CHAPTER I.
A LANDING ON THE COAST OF FRANCE.
Narrow streets with sinuous curves; dwarfed houses with minute shopsprotruding on inch-wide sidewalks; a tiny casino perched like abird-cage on a tiny scaffolding; bath-houses dumped on the beach;fishing-smacks drawn up along the shore like so many Greek galleys;and, fringing the cliffs—the encroachment of the nineteenth century—arow of fantastic sea-side villas.
This was Villerville.
Over an arch of roses; across a broad line of olives, hawthorns,laburnums, and syringas, straight out to sea—