Unpleasant smells, however, seldom seem to distress French organs; and our disgust only amused our companions, who seemed now, for the first time, to perceive that it was not as agreeable as the mignionette beds we had left.
We were not sorry to reach the beautiful promenade of the Champ de Mars and the Fontaine de la Marechale; a fine walk planted with numerous trees, with alleys diverging towards the village of La Font.

Gardens, with high walls, extend for half a league in this direction; for here all the rich merchants of the town have their country-houses, and here they usually spend the summer months.

Being enclosed, however, the perfume of the flowers alone, and an occasional opening, betray their existence; and the walk is hot and dusty, without any view of sea, or landscape, to repay the toil.

At length we found ourselves at the end of the longest village I ever was in; all composed of good square houses, the backs only of which were visible.
We turned aside, along an avenue planted with young trees, to the chateau of La Font; but what was our vexation to find at its extremity a range of little huts, and a black, soapy pool, at which numbers of washerwomen were busy at their ceaseless occupation.

"_Voila_!" exclaimed our hostess, in exultation, and with an air which said, You must be gratified now; "_Voila_! this is the famous fountain _where all the linen of La Rochelle is washed_! and there is the chateau where my washerwoman lives,--a very respectable mother of a family;--and there are her turkeys and her farm-yard; and there is her market-garden! Oh! it is a sweet spot!" Beyond the group of _blanchisseuses_--to whom she stopped to talk about her household arrangements,--we saw a ruined tenement flanked with round towers, very much dilapidated, and preserving but little of their ancient character, owing to having been pierced with modern windows; certainly sufficiently ruinous, if that was to be an object of attraction, but not otherwise worthy of note.