The Argosy — page 331: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

310 OVER THE SPLUGEN. ie was in the summer of the year 18— that I travelled with my | wife over the Spligen Pass on our way to the Italian Lakes. Soon after the birth of our first child she had fallen into delicate health and the doctors urged me to take her away for a year’s sojourn on the Continent. 3 We left England, and by degrees she rallied under the mountain air of Switzerland and began to take more interest in what was going on around her. We lingered for some weeks in the neighbourhood of Lucerne, choosing the higher stations on the lake for the sake of quiet and cooler air; and I was just about to propose a move to the Engadine, or to some place near Zermatt, from which we would, as winter drew near, find our way to the Riviera, when Lucy surprised me by expressing a strong wish to visit Lake Como, urging that the Engadine was cold, and the excursions both there and around Zermatt would be too fatiguing for her. Hitherto she had allowed me to take her where I pleased, without asking a question or making an objection, and I hailed the fact of her expressing a preference as a great improvement. I was only too glad to gratify any desire of hers, and before many days had gone by, we quitted Lucerne and passing through Zurich took up our quarters at Ragatz. It was about a week later that we went over early one morning by train to Chur and secured a comfortable carriage to take us by way of the Spliigen to Chiavenna. The weather was clear and fine when we started, and I was pleased to see my wife in better spirits than she had been for a long time. At Thusis we were to stay the night. It is under twenty miles from Chur and we might easily have gone further, but there seemed to me no reason for doing so. We had plenty of time at our disposal. I was so delighted with the scenery around Thusis I should have been willing to have remained there two or three days, but Lucy preferred to go on, so we adhered to our original plan. Thusis is situated on a terrace at the entrance of Via Mala. The Schyn road opens there, too, by which, through the valley of the Albula to Tiefen-kasten, one can get to the Engadine, and there are many other walks and excursions. But the principal attraction of the place is the gorge of the Via Mala, and we agreed to walk part of the way through this so as to see it to the greatest advantage ; letting our carriage follow us so that if we were tired we could rest at will. I need not describe the place. Everyone has seen it and marvelled Gomichookssco m