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And the Chateau ages old -with its charmille the towering maze-like walks of trees kept clipped in scrupulous formality by an old gardener during the war the charmille designed by no less a genius than Le Notre, who planned the wonders of Versailles and the exquisite miniature of the garden of Nimes? To-morrow must we go.
Here and there a match flared up against unnaturally tinted foliage. Farther on, a spangled dress shimmered beside a fountain, then, accompanied by a dark shadow, disappeared into a charmille. A clock in the valley struck eleven, its last vibrations mingling with a laugh that rose, through the moonbeams, from a marble kiosk enveloped in flowers.
We continued our walk to Grand Trianon, and found the table spread for our dinner under the wide charmille, near the lake. The Princess Metternich sat on the right of the Emperor, and I on his left. The Emperor was in excellent spirits, and bandied repartees with Monsieur Delesert, who surpassed himself in wit, and told many and sometimes rather risky stories, which made every one laugh.
Fresh blood was dropping from them on the sacks of potatoes underneath. The officers had coffee served under the charmille. I was glad to get something to sustain my sinking heart. Henry and I took a sad walk through the park. The once beautifully kept lawn is now like a ploughed field, full of ruts and stones. The lake was shining in the sun, but on it there were no boats.
The question was, where should the game be put up, and where should the wickets be put down? The lawn was wet, the gravel walks were too narrow. The only place that could be found was under the charmille on the terrace, where stood a grove of old platane trees. Prince Metternich was, of course, the moving spirit, and undertook to manage everything.
Incidentally we visited Orcival, with its Romanesque church and chateau, the objective of our expedition, and found it much as Bakkus's glowing eloquence had described. From elderly ladies at stalls under the lee of the church we bought picture post cards. We wandered through the deeply shaded walks of the charmille, as trimly kept as the maze of Hampton Court and three times the height.
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