ABSTRACT
At the foot of Mont Blanc, in the year 1808, there stood a rather shabby little stall; it was scarcely more than a shack but it provided light refreshments and a few useful commodities for passing travellers; it was the property of Maria Paradis. Maria worked as a servant girl in Chamonix. Times were hard; the French Revolution had not so far improved the lot of the mountain peasants of Savoy. When she had time off from her domestic duties Maria presided over her stall to supplement her meagre earnings.
