Page 161 of 483

At length I arrived at the village of Chamounix. Exhaustion

succeeded to the extreme fatigue both of body and of mind which I

had endured. For a short space of time I remained at the window

watching the pallid lightnings that played above Mont Blanc and

listening to the rushing of the Arve, which pursued its noisy way

beneath. The same lulling sounds acted as a lullaby to my too

keen sensations; when I placed my head upon my pillow, sleep

crept over me; I felt it as it came and blessed the giver of

oblivion.

Chapter 10