Then of course it must be remembered that nothing is expected of
them in the way of charity, as is the case with our clergy.
"Nous recevons toujours, nous ne donnons jamais," was the reply of a
French bishop on being asked an alms by some benevolent lady for a
_protege_.
Scattered throughout these fertile and prosperous regions are ancient
towns, some of which are reached by separate little lines of railway,
others are accessible by road only. Coulommiers is one of these, and
though there is nothing attractive about it, except a most picturesque
old church and a very pretty public walk by the winding river, it is
worth making the two hours' drive across country for the sake of the
scenery. As there is no direct communication with Couilly, and no
possibility of hiring a carriage at this busy season, I gladly accepted
a neighbour's offer of a seat in his "trap," a light spring-cart with
capital horse. He was a tradesman of the village, and, like the rest of
the world here, wore the convenient and cleanly blue cotton trousers and
blue blouse of the country. The third spare seat was occupied by a
neighbouring notary, the two men discussing metaphysics, literature, and
the origin of things, on their way.
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