After passing Souppes, a hamlet with a twelfth-century church, the scenery changes. On the right great isolated masses of rock stand on the grassy slopes, and on the left the shallow little valley of the Loing is beautified with the picturesque mills and weirs on the river. The low wooded hills on the left, full of faint purples and browny greens in spring-time, form a delightful background to the bright green of the grass near at hand. The rocky slopes on the right are often covered with juniper, and here and there pines scent the atmosphere. Nemours is a quiet little town, with a collegiate church of the Gothic and Renaissance periods, with the lower part of the tower of the thirteenth century; but the château, built in the twelfth and fifteenth centuries, is the most interesting and picturesque feature. It has circular towers, with conical roofs at each corner, and another tower (the keep) to the north is joined to the main building with a passage three stories in height. The castle has been converted into a museum, and the whole of the interior is shown to visitors by an indefatigable old _gardienne_, who insists on showing the view over the surrounding forests, which can be seen from the donjon tower. It was at Nemours, in July, 1585, that Catherine de Medici, on behalf of Henri III., signed the treaty revoking all edicts in favour of the Protestants, and enforcing the universal profession of Catholicism. At the present time the title of Duc de Nemours is borne by the second son of Louis-Philippe. On leaving Nemours the road keeps to the west of the Loing, and almost at once enters the Forest of Fontainebleau. Most of the trees are without any beauty, being thin and tall and of an average size. There are no suggestions of the primeval, such as every English forest contains, including even the Londoner’s paradise of Epping. The only feature of this great tree-grown area which is interesting, apart from its associations, is the strange appearance of great lumps of rock, tilted up at curious angles, and sprawling about among the trees in such an odd fashion that in the twilight the forest seems full of giant sloths and other prehistoric beasts! FONTAINEBLEAU The town of Fontainebleau stands in the midst of the forest, with the palace and park on the east side. _The palace is open to visitors every day between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m._