Its transept (the ruins of the northern part are seen in the view on the preceding page) was remarkable for its enormous size, compared with that of the choir, and for the seven radial chapels--one of which is clearly visible on the right of the view--enclosed in each of its branches. An outline of the nave remains (on the left of the photograph); it had twelve bays, preceded by a porch. The steeple which rose from the tower was destroyed by lightning in the seventeenth century. The monastery was connected with the church, and the outline of the storied galleries is seen in the view below. The abbot's chapel appears in the middle distance, on the right of the view on the preceding page. It is designed in the style of the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris. [Illustration: RUINS OF THE CHURCH SEEN FROM THE ROUTE DES ÉTANGS] +Visit to the Domain of Châalis.+ _From April 15 to November 1, the museum and park are open on Thursday afternoons, from 1 p.m. to 5 or 6 p.m. An interesting guide by the Curator, Louis Gillet, is sold for 2 francs._ For the passing motorist the visit in detail is not indispensable. The Museum, although interesting, is far from equal to that which Mme. Jacquemart André established in her house in the Boulevard Haussmann, Paris, and which she bequeathed to the "Institut" at the same time as Châalis. As far as concerns the park and ruins, an adequate idea of them will be obtained by following our itinerary. From the entrance gate one sees: in front, the ruins of the church; to the left, the castle, containing the museum. The whole is quite imposing. _At a moderate pace we take the road (on the right of the gate) which leads to the ponds. After traversing them, through the enchanting scenery, of which the photograph below gives some idea, the road runs through woodlands and brings us back to the high road of Ermenonville, down which we turn to the left._ On the other side of this road spreads the second portion of the domain of Châalis: the Désert, which formerly belonged to the park of Ermenonville. In the neighbourhood of this park it consists of a lovely, wooded landscape, with two ponds in the background; but at the other extremity there is a great contrast, for an arid stretch of land, the "Sea of Sand," faces the ponds of Châalis. The Désert, like the park of Ermenonville, teems with memories of Jean-Jacques Rousseau (_see p. 73_). _Skirting the ponds of the Désert we arrive at =Ermenonville= (40 km.)._ The castle, which belongs to Prince Radzivill, is on the left of the road (_it is not open to visitors_). The park (_open to the public on Sundays, Thursdays and holidays_) is on the right. The castle was occupied in September 1914, by German staff officers, who contented themselves with pillaging the wine cellar. [Illustration: A CORNER OF THE PONDS OF CHÂALIS]