satisfactorily and I have had an interesting day today. With any luck I will soon have finished but then I'm afraid I will have to go home and back to a wet, dreary city and set about writing up my many scrappy notes into a report fit for the University."
"I think you have fallen in love with the Capcir Plateau," he said, with a twinkle in his eye, "It has a strange magical beauty. It strikes you at first sight as stark and barren but after a little while the wide sunny vistas and the ever present distant peaks make you feel safe and secure."
Mary nodded, somewhat amazed at how accurately Edouard had guessed her mood. But then perhaps the feeling of being cradled by the surrounding peaks was perhaps a common one on this high plateau.
Edouard continued, "The romance of the mountains affects most people. I think that it is a combination of the natural beauty, the friendly locals, the stories, the climate, the local delicacies and the ever-changing scenary. People come back here year after year. Why do you think the developers were so successful at selling all these flats and chalets. It certainly wasn't for their architectural merit! The skiing here is a big draw but beyond that there is a magnetic drawing power in the very rocks themselves."
Mary pulled out the roll of maps and with them showed the latest drawing that she had just been working on.
"I have been doing a reconstruction of what I think the original chapel would have looked like. Without a proper archaeological excavation it is impossible to be sure that there are not other walls that are completely covered under the earth. But allowing for some artistic licence, I think it is a pretty accurate guess based on what we know from surviving buildings of that period.
Edouard stared at the picture for a long time in silence. He seemed to be staring at something beyond the sketch of the stone building with a simple thatched roof set in the valley. The sketch indicated accurately outlines of the mountain peaks, setting the building into a recognisable present day context.
"You sketch well. I recognise the viewpoint you took and I can name all the peaks you have portrayed. It is strange how a stone building like that with its simple lines dominates the whole scene. A simple stone building in that position really improves the vista of the whole valley. It looks so right just there."
"Of course there would have been many other timber and thatched buildings around the chapel. A detailed excavation would show up for certain the positions of the roof support pillars and probably a lot of the wall lines too." Mary enthused on her pet subject but Edouard didn't seem to be listening to her.
"Can I look at the maps again please?" he asked.
Mary pulled out the rolled up map with her levels and measurements drawn on it. "I have had to survey the whole of the valley floor from scratch. There were no big scale maps available. I have a mystery though. There has been someone else digging around at the site today early today."
Edouard looked up suddenly. "What do you mean?" he asked.
"When I arrived there this morning there was a line of holes right across the valley. It was almost as if someone was going to put a fence across the valley. But no one would want to put a fence there. I can't think of any other explanation. I've reported it to the Gendamerie."
"What was their reaction?
"They weren't very helpful. Said it was the problem of the national forest department. They could not see that a crime had been committed. I don't think that they really wanted to be bothered."
"Probably treasure hunters" suggested Edouard. "People with metal detectors can make a real mess of ancient sites these days if they think there is the chance of finding a few old coins or perhaps something more."
"The policeman didn't think anyone would take the old stories seriously these days. And anyway the holes were too regularly spaced
"I think you have fallen in love with the Capcir Plateau," he said, with a twinkle in his eye, "It has a strange magical beauty. It strikes you at first sight as stark and barren but after a little while the wide sunny vistas and the ever present distant peaks make you feel safe and secure."
Mary nodded, somewhat amazed at how accurately Edouard had guessed her mood. But then perhaps the feeling of being cradled by the surrounding peaks was perhaps a common one on this high plateau.
Edouard continued, "The romance of the mountains affects most people. I think that it is a combination of the natural beauty, the friendly locals, the stories, the climate, the local delicacies and the ever-changing scenary. People come back here year after year. Why do you think the developers were so successful at selling all these flats and chalets. It certainly wasn't for their architectural merit! The skiing here is a big draw but beyond that there is a magnetic drawing power in the very rocks themselves."
Mary pulled out the roll of maps and with them showed the latest drawing that she had just been working on.
"I have been doing a reconstruction of what I think the original chapel would have looked like. Without a proper archaeological excavation it is impossible to be sure that there are not other walls that are completely covered under the earth. But allowing for some artistic licence, I think it is a pretty accurate guess based on what we know from surviving buildings of that period.
Edouard stared at the picture for a long time in silence. He seemed to be staring at something beyond the sketch of the stone building with a simple thatched roof set in the valley. The sketch indicated accurately outlines of the mountain peaks, setting the building into a recognisable present day context.
"You sketch well. I recognise the viewpoint you took and I can name all the peaks you have portrayed. It is strange how a stone building like that with its simple lines dominates the whole scene. A simple stone building in that position really improves the vista of the whole valley. It looks so right just there."
"Of course there would have been many other timber and thatched buildings around the chapel. A detailed excavation would show up for certain the positions of the roof support pillars and probably a lot of the wall lines too." Mary enthused on her pet subject but Edouard didn't seem to be listening to her.
"Can I look at the maps again please?" he asked.
Mary pulled out the rolled up map with her levels and measurements drawn on it. "I have had to survey the whole of the valley floor from scratch. There were no big scale maps available. I have a mystery though. There has been someone else digging around at the site today early today."
Edouard looked up suddenly. "What do you mean?" he asked.
"When I arrived there this morning there was a line of holes right across the valley. It was almost as if someone was going to put a fence across the valley. But no one would want to put a fence there. I can't think of any other explanation. I've reported it to the Gendamerie."
"What was their reaction?
"They weren't very helpful. Said it was the problem of the national forest department. They could not see that a crime had been committed. I don't think that they really wanted to be bothered."
"Probably treasure hunters" suggested Edouard. "People with metal detectors can make a real mess of ancient sites these days if they think there is the chance of finding a few old coins or perhaps something more."
"The policeman didn't think anyone would take the old stories seriously these days. And anyway the holes were too regularly spaced
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