A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy

As Yorick bids farewell to Maria in a market square, he begins to examine her closely. She reminds him of Eliza, though there is not much he can offer her but pity.

The memory of Maria haunts Yorick as he travels and he is “almost to Lyon” (68) before he is able to push the scene of her sitting and weeping beneath the tree out of his mind.

As they are about to cross Taurira, their horse loses one shoe and then another. Deciding not to go further in such a condition, Yorick spots a house and tells the driver to head for it. It is a little house, owned by several generations of a family. They welcome Yorick inside and sit him down at their dinner table. As they eat, he finds the food to be particularly delicious and is impressed by the family’s attitude. 

After dinner, the family gather together to dance. The old man, Yorick remarks, had been “no mean performer” (70) some 50 years ago and begins to dance in front of the house as his wife sings. Later, Yorick is told that the dancing is a family rule, which the old man insists upon after every supper.