The world would go to the school at nine o'clock, and, finding no schoolmaster, would go home again, or otherwise employ itself; and he could have school on the weekly holiday, to make up for the lost day.

This weekly holiday is universally on Thursday, he said, because that day divides the week so well; and I failed to persuade him that there was a commemoration intended in the choice of that day, as in the observance of Friday and Sunday.

The maire utterly refused to take a cord, on the ground that there was no possibility of such a thing being of the least use.

Fortunately, I had now my own axe, which in more able hands had mounted more than once Mont Blanc and Monte Rosa, so I had not the usual fight to procure that instrument.
Half an hour from the _Mairie_, when we had well commenced the steep ascent of the mountain-side, the maire turned suddenly round and exclaimed, 'But the inspector!' Rosset was a sallow man, but he contrived to turn white, while M.Metral (the maire) explained to me that the inspector of schools was to visit Aviernoz that day.

The schoolmaster recovered before long, and said he should inform the inspector that a famous _savant_ had come from England, and required that the maire and the _instituteur_ should accompany him to the glaciere, to aid him in making scientific observations.