them　to　yield　to　the　influence　of　the　touching　harmonies　of　the　human　voice。　The　Church　was　coming　to　the　aid　of　a　creature　that　knew　her　not。　The　cure　appeared；　preceded　by　a　choir…boy；　who　bore　the　crucifix；　and　followed　by　the　sacristan　carrying　the　vase　of　holy　water；　and　by　some　fifty　women；　old　men；　and　children；　who　had　all　come　to　add　their　prayers　to　those　of　the　Church。　The　doctor　and　the　soldier　looked　at　each　other；　and　silently　withdrew　to　a　corner　to　make　room　for　the　kneeling　crowd　within　and　without　the　cottage。　During　the　consoling　ceremony　of　the　Viaticum；　celebrated　for　one　who　had　never　sinned；　but　to　whom　the　Church　on　earth　was　bidding　a　last　farewell；　there　were　signs　of　real　sorrow　on　most　of　the　rough　faces　of　the　gathering；　and　tears　flowed　over　the　rugged　cheeks　that　sun　and　wind　and　labor　in　the　fields　had　tanned　and　wrinkled。　The　sentiment　of　voluntary　kinship　was　easy　to　explain。　There　was　not　one　in　the　place　who　had　not　pitied　the　unhappy　creature；　not　one　who　would　not　have　given　him　his　daily　bread。　Had　he　not　met　with　a　father's　care　from　every　child；　and　found　a　mother　in　the　merriest　little　girl？
  〃He　is　dead！〃　said　the　cure。
  The　words　struck　his　hearers　with　the　most　unfeigned　dismay。　The　tall　candles　were　lighted；　and　several　people　undertook　to　watch　with　the　dead　that　night。　Benassis　and　the　soldier　went　out。　A　group　of　peasants　in　the　doorway　stopped　the　doctor　to　say：
  〃Ah！　if　you　have　not　saved　his　life；　sir；　it　was　doubtless　because　God　wished　to　take　him　to　Himself。〃
  〃I　did　my　best；　children；〃　the　doctor　answered。
  When　they　had　come　a　few　paces　from　the　deserted　village；　whose　last　inhabitant　had　just　died；　the　doctor　spoke　to　Genestas。
  〃You　would　not　believe；　sir；　what　real　solace　is　contained　for　me　in　what　those　peasants　have　just　said。　Ten　years　ago　I　was　very　nearly　stoned　to　death　in　this　village。　It　is　empty　to…day；　but　thirty　families　lived　in　it　then。〃
  Genestas'　face　and　gesture　so　plainly　expressed　an　inquiry；　that；　as　they　went　along；　the　doctor　told　him　the　story　promised　by　this　beginning。
  〃When　I　first　settled　here；　sir；　I　found　a　dozen　cretins　in　this　part　of　the　canton；〃　and　the　doctor　turned　round　to　point　out　the　ruined　cottages　for　the　officer's　benefit。　〃All　the　favorable　conditions　for　spreading　the　hideous　disease　are　there；　the　air　is　stagnant；　the　hamlet　lies　in　the　valley　bottom；　close　beside　a　torrent　supplied　with　water　by　the　melted　snows；　and　the　sunlight　only　falls　on　the　mountain…top；　so　that　the　valley　itself　gets　no　good　of　the　sun。　Marriages　among　these　unfortunate　creatures　are　not　forbidden　by　law；　and　in　this　district　they　are　protected　by　superstitious　notions；　of　whose　power　I　had　no　conceptionsuperstitions　which　I　blamed　at　first；　and　afterwards　came　to　admire。　So　cretinism　was　in　a　fair　way　to　spread　all　over　the　valley　from　this　spot。　Was　it　not　doing　the　country　a　great　service　to　put　a　stop　to　this　mental　and　physical　contagion？　But　imperatively　as　the　salutary　changes　were　required；　they　might　cost　the　life　of　any　man　who　endeavored　to　bring　them　about。　Here；　as　in　other　social　spheres；　if　any　good　is　to　be　done；　we　come　into　collision　not　merely　with　vested　interests；　but　with　something　far　more　dangerous　to　meddle　withreligious　ideas　crystallized　into　superstitions；　the　most　permanent　form　taken　by　human　thought。　I　feared　nothing。
  〃In　the　first　place；　I　sought　for　the　position　of　mayor　in　the　canton；　and　in　this　I　succeeded。　Then；　after　obtaining　a　verbal　sanction　from　the　prefect；　and　by　paying　down　the　money；　I　had　several　of　these　unfortunate　creatures　transported　over　to　Aiguebelle；　in　Savoy；　by　night。　There　are　a　great　many　of　them　there；　and　they　were　certain　to　be　very　kindly　treated。　When　this　act　of　humanity　came　to　be　known；　the　whole　countryside　looked　upon　me　as　a　monster。　The　cure　preached　against　me。　In　spite　of　all　the　pains　I　took　to　explain　to　all　the　shrewder　heads　of　the　little　place　the　immense　importance　of　being　rid　of　the　idiots；　and　in　spite　of　the　fact　that　I　gave　my　services　gratuitously　to　the　sick　people　of　the　district；　a　shot　was　fired　at　me　from　the　corner　of　a　wood。
  〃I　went　to　the　Bishop　of　Grenoble　and　asked　him　to　change　the　cure。　Monseigneur　was　good　enough　to　allow　me　to　choose　a　priest　who　would　share　in　my　labors；　and　it　was　my　happy　fortune　to　meet　with　one　of　those　rare　natures　that　seemed　to　have　dropped　down　from　heaven。　Then　I　went　on　with　my　enterprise。　After　preparing　people's　minds；　I　made　another　transportation　by　night；　and　six　more　cretins　were　taken　away。　In　this　second　attempt　I　had　the　support　of　several　people　to　whom　I　had　rendered　some　service；　and　I　was　backed　by　the　members　of　the　Communal　Council；　for　I　had　appealed　to　their　parsimonious　instincts；　showing　them　how　much　it　cost　to　support　the　poor　wretches；　and　pointing　out　how　largely　they　might　gain　by　converting　their　plots　of　ground　（to　which　the　idiots　had　no　proper　title）　into　allotments　which　were　needed　in　the　township。
  〃All　the　rich　were　on　my　side；　but　the　poor；　the　old　women；　the　children；　and　a　few　pig…headed　people　were　violently　opposed　to　me。　Unluckily　it　so　fell　out　that　my　last　removal　had　not　been　completely　carried　out。　The　cretin　whom　you　have　just　seen；　not　having　returned　to　his　house；　had　not　been　taken　away；　so　that　the　next　morning　he　was　the　sole　remaining　example　of　his　species　in　the　village。　There　were　several　families　still　living　there；　but　though　they　were　little　better　than　idiots；　they　were；　at　any　rate；　free　from　the　taint　of　cretinism。　I　determined　to　go　through　with　my　work；　and　came　officially　in　open　day　to　take　the　luckless　creature　from　his　dwelling。　I　had　no　sooner　left　my　house　than　my　intention　got　abroad。　The　cretin's　friends　were　there　before　me；　and　in　front　of　his　hovel　I　found　a　crowd　of　women　and　children　and　old　people；　who　hailed　my　arrival　with　insults　accompanied　by　a　shower　of　stones。
  〃In　the　midst　of　the　uproar　I　should　perhaps　have　fallen　a　victim　to　the　frenzy　that　possesses　a　crowd　excited　by　its　own　outcries　and　stirred　up　by　one　common　feeling；　but　the　cretin　saved　my　life！　The　poor　creature　came　out　of　his　hut；　and　raised　the　clucking　sound　of　his　voice。　He　seemed　to　be　an　absolute　ruler　over　the　fanatical　mob；　for　the　sight　of　him　put　a　sudden　stop　to　the　clamor。　It　occurred　to　me　that　I　might　arrange　a　compromise；　and　thanks　to　the　quiet　so　opportunely　restored；　I　was　able　to　propose　and　explain　it。　Of　course；　those　who　approved　of　my　schemes　would　not　dare　to　second　me　in　this　emergency；　their　support　was　sure　to　be　of　a　purely　passive　kind；　while　these　superstitious　folk　would　exert　the　most　active　vigilance　to　keep　their　last　idol　among　them；　it　was　impossible；　it　seemed　to　me；　to　take　him　away　from　them。　So　I　promised　to　leave　the　cretin　in　peace　in　his　dwelling；　with　the　understanding　that　he　should　live　quite　by　himself；　and　that　the　remaining　families　in　the　village　should　cross　the　stream　and　come　to　live　in　the　town；　in　some　new　houses　which　I　myself　undertook　to　build；　adding　to　each　house　a　piece　of　ground　for　which　the　Commune　was　to　repay　me　later　on。
  〃Well；　my　dear　sir；　it　took　me　fully　six　months　to　overcome　their　objection　to　this　bargain；　however　much　it　may　have　been　to　the　advantage　of　the　village　families。　The　affection　which　they　have　for　their　wretched　hovels　in　country　districts　is　something　quite　unexplainable。　No　matter　how　unwholesome　his　hovel　may　be；　a　peasant　clings　far　more　to　it　than　a　banker　does　to　his　mansion。　The　reason　of　it？　That　I　do　not　know。　Perhaps　thoughts　and　feelings　are　strongest　in　those　who　have　but　few　of　them；　simply　because　they　have　but　few。　Perhaps　material　things　count　for　much　in　the　lives　of　those　who　live　so　little　in　thought；　certain　it　is　that　the　less　they　have；　the　dearer　their　possessions　are　to　them。　Perhaps；　too；　it　is　with　the　peasant　as　with　the　prisoner　he　does　not　squander　the　powers　of　his　soul；　he　centres　them　all　upon　a　single　idea；　and　this　is　how　his　feelings　come　to　be　so　exceedingly　strong。　Pardon　these　reflections　on　the　part　of　a　man　who　seldom　exchanges　ideas　with　any　one。　But；　indeed；　you　must　not　suppose；　sir；　that　I　am　much　taken　up　with　these　far…fetched　considerations。　We　all　have　to　be　active　and　practical　here。
  〃Alas！　the　fewer　ideas　these　poor　folk　have　in　their　heads；　the　harder　it　is　to　make　them　see　where　their　real　interests　lie。　There　was　nothing　for　it　but　to　give　my　whole　attention　to　every　trifling　detail　of　my　enterprise。　One　and　all　made　me　the　same　answer；　one　of　those　sayings；　filled　with　homely　sense；　to　which　there　is　no　possible　reply；　'But　your　houses　are　not　yet　built；　sir！'　they　used　to　say。　'Very　good；'　said　I；　'promise　me　that　as　soon　as　they　are　finished　you　will　come　and　live　in　them。'
  〃Luckily；　sir；　I　obtained　a　decision　to　the　effect　that　the　whole　of　the　mountain　side　above　the　now　deserted　village　was　the　property　of　the　township。　The　sum　of　money　brought　in　by　the　woods　on　the　higher　slopes　paid　for　the　building　of　the　new　houses　and　for　the　land　on　which　they　stood。　They　were　built　forthwith；　and　when　once　one　of　my　refractory　families　was　fairly　settled　in；　the　rest　of　them　were　not　slow　to　follow。　The　benefits　of　the　chan