"Well, go!" The lordly bugle blew, And said the man, with joy, "Right glad am I to lose him, too, I would not harm the boy." Some moments passed; the deadly rain Fell thickly through the air; The smoke arose, and, lo! again The boy stood calmly there. The muskets ceased, the smoke-wreath passed O'er sunlit dome and spire,-- "Here, captain, I have come at last, And I am ready. Fire!" As marble grew the captain's cheek, He could not speak the word. The shout of _Vive la République!_ Adown the ranks was heard. The bugle blew a note of joy, "Advance!" the captain cried,-- They marched, and left the happy boy The colonnade beside. We sing Vialla's sweet romance, Of Barra's death we read, But few among the boys of France E'er did a nobler deed. The palace burns, the columns fall, The works of art decay, But deeds like these the good recall When empires pass away. CHAPTER XVI. BRITTANY. Avranches.--Riding on Diligences.--Mont St. Michel.--Chateaubriand.-- Madame de Sévigné.--Brittany.--Breton Stories.--Story of the Old Woman's Cow.--Story of the Wonderful Sack.--Nantes.--Scenes of the Revolution at Nantes.--Fénelon and Louis XV. The Class went by rail from Paris to the bright Norman district of Calvados, visiting Caen and Bayeux, whose attractions have been briefly sketched in the letter of George Howe to Master Lewis. The next journey was to Avranches, or the "Village of the Cliff," by the way of Falaise, the residence of Duke Robert, father of William the Conqueror, and to the quaint town of Vire, famous for its cleanly, industrious inhabitants its grand old hills buried in woods, its great wayside trees, and its ancient clock-tower. [Illustration: CLOCK TOWER AT VIRE.] The Class met few people on this journey. The cantonniers were evidently busy with their own simple industries. Once or twice the boys saw gentlemen, whom Master Lewis said were curés, at work in cool, green gardens; and often they met the pretty sight of women and girls at work in the fields. The cottages were thatched, and some were moss-grown, and all the canton wore the appearance of simple contentment, virtue, and thrift. Avranches is a favorite summer resort for English tourists, owing to the beauty of its situation, its health-giving air, and the ease and cheapness with which one may live. The journey from Caen, along the bowery Norman highways, was made in diligences. The boys seemed to brim over with pleasure at the prospect of a ride in a diligence. "There is one place where contentment and happiness may surely be found," said Tommy Toby, one day. "Where?" asked Master Lewis. "On the top of a diligence." "Are you sure?" "Yes, sure."