Romantic Corsica, wanderings in Napoleon's isle; . She paid nothing for them, but, I willsend Mattel down with the chair to-night, she said. I want a new chair, said the stallkeeper to me, whenI asked her if she did most of her business by means ofbarter, and Mattel promised me one if I gave his grand-mother some vegetables every day for a week. It is a curious old-world picture. Repulsive it may bein some aspects, gloomy and saddening it undoubtedly isto the visitor, but amidst the greatest poverty and dismalsurroundings there is happiness. There is little, after all,to trouble about, and no
Romantic Corsica, wanderings in Napoleon's isle; . She paid nothing for them, but, I willsend Mattel down with the chair to-night, she said. I want a new chair, said the stallkeeper to me, whenI asked her if she did most of her business by means ofbarter, and Mattel promised me one if I gave his grand-mother some vegetables every day for a week. It is a curious old-world picture. Repulsive it may bein some aspects, gloomy and saddening it undoubtedly isto the visitor, but amidst the greatest poverty and dismalsurroundings there is happiness. There is little, after all,to trouble about, and no one starves. Time only bringsits wrinkles; care and discontent do not seem to writetheir signs on the brow or cut their ways into humanhearts. Not far off is the Place dArmes—a sloping spaceabove Gafforis house, where, overshadowed by theramparts of the fort, stands the College Paoli. Hereit was that the great Corsican lived during the time hewas protector—from 1755 to 1769; here is the littlestudy where he worked and the room where he IN OLD-WORLD CORTl^ 167 Paoli bequeathed to Cort6 a capital sum, the revenuefrom which was to be applied to maintaining fourchairs in the University which he established in University was subsequently turned into what maybe called a secondary school, and such it remains to-day,attended by about three hundred pupils. Paoli alsocaused to be established the first printing press and thefirst newspaper in the island. Cort6 is a lazy place. There is nothing of the bustleof Bastia about it; not even the mild activity of and civilians alike begin to drink their aperitifsat an hour which would shock the Parisian boulevardier;dejeuner and diner seem to be at once the principaloccupations and the chief pastimes of the majority ofcitizens. Only once in the twenty-four hours are thingsat all lively, and that is after dinner. Then the Corso isa pretty sight. Cort6 and his wife—charming peoplethey are—stroll about enjoy
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