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Title: Rollo in Paris

Author: Jacob Abbott

Release Date: October 11, 2007 [EBook #22956]

Language: English

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ROLLO IN PARIS,

BY

JACOB ABBOTT.


BOSTON:

W. J. REYNOLDS AND COMPANY,
No. 24 CORNHILL,
1854.

Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, by
JACOB ABBOTT,

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of
Massachusetts.

STEREOTYPED AT THE
BOSTON STEREOTYPE FOUNDRY.
G. C. RAND BOOK AND WOOD CUT PRINTER.




[Illustration: Restaurant (Café) on the Boulevards. Page 223.]

[Illustration: ROLLO'S TOUR IN EUROPE.]


ROLLO'S TOUR IN EUROPE.

ORDER OF THE VOLUMES.

ROLLO ON THE ATLANTIC.
ROLLO IN PARIS.
ROLLO IN SWITZERLAND.
ROLLO IN LONDON.
ROLLO ON THE RHINE.
ROLLO IN SCOTLAND.


PRINCIPAL PERSONS OF THE STORY.

ROLLO; twelve years of age.

MR. and MRS. HOLIDAY; Rollo's father and mother, travelling in Europe.

THANNY; Rollo's younger brother.

JANE; Rollo's cousin, adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Holiday.

MR. GEORGE; a young gentleman, Rollo's uncle.




CONTENTS.

  CHAPTER                                                           PAGE

  I.--THE ARRANGEMENTS,                                               11

  II.--CROSSING THE CHANNEL,                                          34

  III.--JOURNEY TO PARIS,                                             56

  IV.--THE GARDEN OF THE TUILERIES,                                   80

  V.--THE ELYSIAN FIELDS,                                            100

  VI.--A GREAT MISTAKE,                                              122

  VII.--CARLOS,                                                      143

  VIII.--THE GARDEN OF PLANTS,                                       162

  IX.--AN EXCURSION,                                                 183

  X.--ROLLO'S NARRATIVE,                                             202

  XI.--CONCLUSION,                                                   222




ENGRAVINGS.

  FRONTISPIECE.                                                     PAGE

  THE DINNER AT NEW HAVEN,                                            32

  ENTERING DIEPPE,                                                    49

  THE ARRIVAL,                                                        77

  THE OBELISK,                                                       105

  THE HIPPODROME,                                                    140

  THE RESTAURANT,                                                    179

  SINGING IN THE OPEN AIR,                                           197

  PERFORMANCE ON THE BOULEVARDS,                                     219




ROLLO IN PARIS.




CHAPTER I.

THE ARRANGEMENTS.


Gentlemen and ladies at the hotels, in London, generally dine about six
or seven o'clock, each party or family by themselves, in their own
private parlor. One evening, about eight o'clock, just after the waiter
had removed the cloth from the table where Rollo's father and mother,
with Rollo himself and his cousin Jennie, had been dining, and left the
table clear, Mr. Holiday rose, and walked slowly and feebly--for he was
quite out of health, though much better than he had been--towards a
secretary which stood at the side of the room.

"Now," said he, "we will get out the map and the railway guide, and see
about the ways of getting to France."

Rollo and Jennie were at this time at the window, looking at the
vehicles which were passing by along the Strand. The Strand is a street
of London, and one of the most lively and crowded of them all. As soon
as Rollo heard his father say that he was going to get the map and the
railway guide, he said to Jane,--

"Let's go and see."

So they both went to the table, and there, kneeling up upon two
cushioned chairs which they brought forward for the purpose, they leaned
over upon the table where their father was spreading out the map, and
thus established themselves very comfortably as spectators of the
proceedings.

"Children," said Mr. Holiday, "do you come here to listen, or to talk?"

"To listen," said Rollo.

"O, very well," said Mr. Holiday; "then I am glad that you have come."

In obedience to this intimation, Rollo and Jane took care not to
interrupt Mr. Holiday even to ask a question, but looked on and listened
very patiently and attentively for nearly half an hour, while he pointed
out to Mrs. Holiday the various routes, and ascertained from the guide
books the times at which the trains set out, and the steamers sailed,
for each of them, and also the cost of getting to Paris by the several
lines. If the readers of this book were themselves actually in London,
and were going to Paris, as Rollo and Jennie were, they would be
interested, perhaps, in having all this information laid before them in
full detail. As it is, however, all that will be necessary, probably, is
to give such a general statement of the case as will enable them to
understand the story.

By looking at any map of Europe, it will be seen that England is
separated from France by the English Channel, a passage which, though it
looks quite narrow on the map, is really very wide, especially toward
the west. The narrowest place is between Dover and Calais, where the
distance across is only about twenty-two miles. This narrow passage is
called the Straits of Dover. It would have been very convenient for
travellers that have to pass between London and Paris if this strait had
happened to lie in the line, or nearly in the line, between these two
cities; but it does not. It lies considerably to the eastward of it; so
that, to cross the channel at the narrowest part, requires that the
traveller should take quite a circuit round. To go by the shortest
distance, it is necessary to cross the channel at a place where Dieppe
is the harbor, on the French side, and New Haven on the English. There
are other places of crossing, some of which are attended with one
advantage, and others with another. In some, the harbors are not good,
and the passengers have to go off in small boats, at certain times of
tide, to get to the steamers. In others, the steamers leave only when
the tide serves, which may happen to come at a very inconvenient hour.
In a word, it is always quite a study with tourists, when they are ready
to leave London for Paris, to determine by which of the various lines it
will be best for their particular party, under the particular
circumstances in which they are placed, to go.

After ascertaining all the facts very carefully, and all the advantages
and disadvantages of each particular line, Mr. Holiday asked his wife
what she thought they had better do.

"The cheapest line is by the way of New Haven," said Mrs. Holiday.

"That's of no consequence, I think, now," said Mr. Holiday. "The
difference is not very great."

"For our whole party, it will make four or five pounds," said Mrs.
Holiday.

"Well," said Mr. Holiday, "I am travelling to recover my health, and
every thing must give way to that. If I can only get well, I can earn
money fast enough, when I go home, to replace what we expend. The only
question is, Which way will be the pleasantest and the most
comfortable?"

"Then," said Mrs. Holiday, "I think we had better go by the way of Dover
and Calais, where we have the shortest passage by sea."

"I think so too," said Mr. Holiday; "so that point is settled."

"Father," said Rollo, "I wish you would let Jennie and me go to Paris by
ourselves alone, some other way."

The reader who has perused the narrative of Rollo's voyage across the
Atlantic will remember that, through a very peculiar combination of
circumstances, he was left to make that voyage under his own charge,
without having any one to take care of him. He was so much pleased with
the result of that experiment, and was so proud of his success in acting
as Jennie's protector, that he was quite desirous of trying such an
experiment again.

"O, no!" said his father.

"Why, father, I got along well enough in coming over," replied Rollo.

"True," said his father; "and if any accident, or any imperious
necessity, should lead to your setting out for Paris without any escort,
I have no doubt that you would get through safely. But it is one thing
for a boy to be put into such a situation by some unforeseen and
unexpected contingency, and quite another thing for his father
deliberately to form such a plan for him."

Rollo looked a little disappointed, but he did not reply. In fact, he
felt that his father was right.

"But I'll tell you," added Mr. Holiday. "If your uncle George is willing
to go by some different route from ours, you may go with him."

"And Jennie?" inquired Rollo.

"Why! Jennie?" repeated Mr. Holiday, hesitating. "Let me think. Yes,
Jennie may go with you, if she pleases, if her mother is willing."

Jennie always called Mrs. Holiday her mother, although she was really
her aunt.

"Are you willing, mother," asked Rollo, very eagerly.

Mrs. Holiday was at a loss what to say. She was very desirous to please
Rollo, and at the same time she wished very much to have Jennie go with
her. However, she finally decided the question by saying that Jennie
might go with whichever party she pleased.

Rollo's uncle George had not been long in England. He had come out from
America some time after Rollo himself did, so that Rollo had not
travelled with him a great deal. Mr. George was quite young, though he
was a great deal older than Rollo--too old to be much of a companion
for his nephew. Rollo liked him very much, because he was always kind to
him; but there was no very great sympathy between them, for Mr. George
was never much interested in such things as would please a boy. Besides,
he was always very peremptory and decisive, though always just, in his
treatment of Rollo, whenever he had him under his charge. Rollo was,
however, very glad when his father consented that he and his uncle
George might go to Paris together.

Mr. George was out that day, and he did not come home until Rollo had
gone to bed. Rollo, however, saw him early the next morning, and told
him what his father had said.

"Well," said Mr. George, after hearing his story, "and what do you
propose that we should do?"

"I propose that you, and Jennie, and I should go by the way of New Haven
and Dieppe," replied Rollo.

"Why?" said Mr. George.

"You see it is cheaper that way," said Rollo. "We can go that way for
twenty-four shillings. It costs two and three pounds by the other ways."

"That's a consideration," said Mr. George.

"For the pound you would save," said Rollo, "you could buy a very
handsome book in Paris."

Rollo suggested these considerations because he had often heard his
uncle argue in this way before. He had himself another and a secret
reason why he wished to go by the New Haven route; but we are all very
apt, when giving reasons to others, to present such as we think will
influence them, and not those which really influence us.

Mr. George looked into the guide book at the pages which Rollo pointed
out, and found that it was really as Rollo had said.

"Well," said he, "I'll go that way with you."

So that was settled, too.

A short time after this conversation, Rollo's father and mother, and
also Jennie, came in. Mr. Holiday rang the bell for the waiter to bring
up breakfast. Jennie, when she found that it was really decided that her
father and mother were to go one way, and her uncle George and Rollo
another, was quite at a loss to determine which party she herself should
join. She thought very justly that there would probably be more incident
and adventure to be met with in going with Rollo; but then, on the other
hand, she was extremely unwilling to be separated from her mother. She
stood by her mother's side, leaning toward her in an attitude of
confiding and affectionate attachment, while the others were talking
about the details of the plan.

"I rather think there is one thing that you have forgotten," said Mr.
Holiday, "and which, it strikes me, is a decided objection to your plan;
and that is, that the steamer for to-morrow, from New Haven, leaves at
midnight."

"That's the very reason why I wanted to go that way," said Rollo.

"Why, Rollo!" exclaimed his mother.

"Yes, mother," said Rollo. "There would be so much fun in setting out at
midnight. Think, Jennie!" added Rollo, addressing his cousin, "we should
sit up till midnight! And then to see all the people going on board by
the light of lanterns and torches. I wonder if there'll be a moon. Let's
look in the almanac, and see if there'll be a moon."

"But, George," said Mrs. Holiday, "you will not wish to set off at
midnight. I think you had better change your plan, after all."

But Mr. George did not seem to think that the midnight departure of the
boat was any objection to the New Haven plan. He had noticed that that
was the time set for leaving New Haven the next night, and he thought
that, on the whole, the arrangement would suit his plans very well. He
would have a good long evening to write up his journal, which he said
was getting rather behindhand. The water, too, would be more likely to
be smooth in the night, so that there would be less danger of
seasickness. Besides, he thought that both Rollo and himself would
become very sleepy by sitting up so late, and so would fall directly to
sleep as soon as they got into their berths on board the steamer, and
sleep quietly till they began to draw near to the coast of France. The
distance across the channel, at that point, was such, that the steamer,
in leaving at midnight, would not reach Dieppe till five or six o'clock
the next morning.

Accordingly, the arrangements were all made for Rollo's departure the
next day, with his uncle George, for New Haven. Jennie finally decided
to go with her father and mother. The idea of sailing at midnight
determined her; for such an adventure, attractive as it was in Rollo's
eyes, seemed quite formidable in hers. Rollo had a very pleasant ride to
New Haven, amusing himself all the way with the beauties of English
scenery and the continual novelties that every where met his eye. When
they at last arrived at New Haven, they found that the harbor consisted
merely of a straight, artificial canal, cut in from the sea, where
probably some small stream had originally issued. The sides of this
harbor were lined with piers, and on one of the piers was a great hotel,
forming a part, as it were, of the railway station. There were a few
houses and other buildings near, but there was no town to be seen. The
railway was on one side of the hotel, and the water was on the other.
When the train stopped, one of the railway servants opened the door for
Mr. George and Rollo to get out, and Mr. George went directly into the
hotel to make arrangements for rooms and for dinner, while Rollo, eager
to see the ships and the water, went through the house to the pier on
the other side. He found that there was a pretty broad space on the
pier, between the hotel and the water, with a shed upon it for
merchandise, and extra tracks for freight trains. The water was quite
low in the harbor, and the few vessels that were lying at the pier walls
were mostly grounded in the mud. There was one steamboat lying opposite
the hotel, but it was down so low that, at first, Rollo could only see
the top of the smoke-pipe. Rollo went to the brink of the pier and
looked down. The steamer appeared very small. It was painted black.
There were very few people on board. Rollo had a great mind to go on
board himself, as there was a plank leading down from the pier to the
top of the paddle box. But it looked rather steep, and so Rollo
concluded to postpone going on board till Mr. George should come out
with him after dinner.

Rollo looked about upon the pier a few minutes, and then went into the
hotel. He passed through a spacious hall, and then through a passage
way, from which he could look into a large room, the sides of which were
formed of glass, so that the people who were in the room could see out
all around them. The front of the room looked out upon the pier, the
back side upon the passage way. A third side was toward the vestibule,
and the fourth toward the coffee room. There were shelves around this
room, within, and tables, and desks, and people going to and fro there.
In fact, it seemed to be the office of the hotel.

Rollo advanced to one of the openings that was toward the passage way,
and asked which was the way to the coffee room. The girl pointed to the
door which led to it, and Rollo went in.

He found a large and beautiful room, with several tables set for dinner
in different parts of it, and sideboards covered with silver, and
glasses against the walls. On one side there were several large and
beautiful windows, which looked out upon the pier, and opposite to each
of these windows was a small dinner table, large enough, however, for
two persons. Mr. George had taken one of these tables, and when Rollo
came in he was sitting near it, reading a newspaper.

"Come, Rollo," said he, "I have ordered dinner, and we shall just have
time to arrange our accounts while they are getting it ready."

So saying, Mr. George took out his pocket book, and also a small pocket
inkstand, and a pen, and put them all upon the table.

"Your father's plan," he continued, "is this: He is to pay all expenses
of transportation, at the same rate that he pays for himself; so that,
whatever you save by travelling in cheap ways, is your own."

"Yes," said Rollo, smiling, "I mean to walk sometimes, and save it all."

"He is also to pay the expense of your lodgings."

"Yes," said Rollo.

"Generally, of course, you will have lodgings with him, but sometimes
you will be away from him; as, for instance, to-night. In such cases, I
pay for your lodgings, on your father's account."

"Yes," said Rollo, "I understand that."

"He also pays the expense of all casualties."

"So he said," replied Rollo; "but I don't understand what he means by
that, very well."

"Why, you may meet with accidents that will cost money to repair, or get
into difficulties which will require money to get out of. For instance,
you may lose your ticket, and so have to pay twice over; or you may get
lost yourself, in Paris, and so have to hire a man with a carriage to
bring you home. For all such things, the money is not to come from your
purse. Your father will pay."

"Suppose it is altogether my fault," said Rollo. "Then I think I ought
to pay."

"But your father said that he was sure you would not be to blame for
such accidents; though I think he is mistaken there. I have no doubt,
myself, that nearly all the accidents that will happen to you will come
from boyish heedlessness and blundering on your part."

"We'll see," said Rollo.

"Yes," said Mr. George, "we'll see."

"Then, as to your board," continued Mr. George, "your father said that
you might do as you pleased about that. He would pay it, or you might,
and be allowed five francs a day for it."

"Five francs is about a dollar, is it not?" asked Rollo.

"Yes," replied Mr. George, "very nearly. But you had better not reckon
by dollars, now, at all, but by francs altogether. That's a franc."

So saying, Mr. George took a silver coin out of his pocket, and showed
it to Rollo. It was nearly as large as a quarter of a dollar, or an
English shilling, but not quite. A quarter of a dollar is worth
twenty-five cents, an English shilling twenty-four, and a franc about
twenty cents.

"You can have five of those a day to pay your own board with."

"And how much would it cost me at a boarding house, in Paris, to pay my
board?" asked Rollo.

"Why, we don't board at boarding houses in Paris," said Mr. George. "We
have rooms at a hotel, and then we get breakfast and dinner wherever we
please, at coffee rooms and dining rooms all over the city, wherever we
happen to be, or wherever we take a fancy to go. You can get a very
excellent breakfast for a franc and a half. A beefsteak, or an omelet,
and bread and butter and coffee."

"That's enough for breakfast," said Rollo. "And then, dinner?"

"You can get a first-rate dinner for two francs, or even less. That
makes three francs and a half."

"And tea?"

"They never take tea in Paris," said Mr. George. "The French don't take
tea."

"Why not?" asked Rollo.

"I don't know," replied Mr. George, "unless it is because the English
_do_. Whatever is done in London, you generally find that just the
contrary is done in Paris."

"Don't we have any thing, then, after dinner?" asked Rollo.

"Yes," said Mr. George. "The French generally go and take a seat at a
little round table on the sidewalk, and have a little glass of brandy
and a cigar."

Here Rollo threw his head back, and laughed loud and long. He was
greatly amused at the idea of his making an allowance, in calculating
how far his five francs would go, for a glass of brandy and a cigar. Mr.
George himself, sedate as he was, could not but smile.

"The fact is," said he, at length, "there are only two meals to
calculate for, and they will not cost, upon an average, more than three
francs and a half, if we are prudent and economical, and go to plain and
not expensive places. But then there is the immense amount that you will
be always wishing to spend for cakes, and candy, and oranges, and nuts,
and bonbons of all sorts and kinds. There is an endless variety of such
things in Paris. You will find half a dozen cake shops in every street,
with fifty different kinds of gingerbread and cake in them, all of the
richest and most delicious description."

"Yes," said Rollo, "I shall want some of those things."

"No doubt," said Mr. George, "you will make yourself sick eating them,
I'll venture to say, before you have been in Paris twenty-four hours."

"No," said Rollo, shaking his head resolutely; "and I think I had better
take the five francs and pay my own board."

"Very well," said Mr. George, "and that provides for every thing except
incidentals. Your father said that I might pay you five francs a day for
incidentals and pocket money. That is to include all your personal
expenses of every kind, except what we have already provided for. There
will be excursions, and tickets to concerts and shows, and carriage
hire, and toys that you will want to buy, and all such things. The
amount of it is, that your father pays all your expenses for
transportation, for lodging, and for casualties. You pay every thing
else, and are allowed ten francs a day for it. I am to be treasurer,
and to have the whole charge of your funds, except so far as I find it
prudent and safe to intrust them to you, and you are to buy nothing at
all against my consent."

"Nothing at all?" asked Rollo.

"No," said Mr. George, "nothing at all. You are not to expend a single
centime in any way that I object to."

"What is a centime?" asked Rollo.

"It is of the value of less than one fourth of a cent," replied Mr.
George.

"But I should think I might buy such little things as that would come
to, of myself," said Rollo. "Suppose I should wish to buy a small piece
of gingerbread for a cent."

"Say for a sou,"[A] replied Mr. George. "There are no cents in Paris."

[A] Pronounced _soo_.

"Well," rejoined Rollo, "suppose I should wish to spend a _sou_ for
gingerbread, and eat it, and you should object to it."

"Very well," replied Mr. George; "and suppose you were to wish to spend
a sou for poison, and drink it."

"But I should not be likely to buy poison," said Rollo, laughing.

"Nor should I be likely to object to your buying gingerbread," rejoined
Mr. George. "A boy, however, may, it is clear, do mischief with a little
money as well as with a great deal; and, therefore, the power in his
guardian should be absolute and entire. At any rate, so it is in this
case. If I see fit to forbid your expending a single sou for any thing
whatever, I can, and you will have no remedy till we see your father
again; and then you can ask him to put you under some other person's
care. Until he does this, however, the control is absolute and entire in
my hands. I would not take charge of a boy on any other terms."

"Well," said Rollo, "I agree to it."

"And now," said Mr. George, "I am ready to begin your account."

Mr. George then took a small account book from his pocket book as he
said this, and, opening it at the beginning, he wrote across the top of
the two pages which came together the words,

_Rollo Holiday, in Account with his Father._

On the corner of the left-hand page he wrote Dr., which stands for
debtor; and on that of the right-hand page, Cr., which stands for
creditor.

"There," said he, "now I shall enter, from time to time, on the creditor
side, all the money that becomes due to you; and on the debtor side,
all that I pay to you. Then, by striking a balance, we can always tell
how much of your money there is in my hands.

"Let me see," continued Mr. George. "Your father and mother concluded
finally to go by the way of Folkstone. The fare that way is two pound
eleven. This way, it is one pound four. I am to pay you the difference.
The difference is one pound seven; and one pound seven, in francs,
is--let me see how much."

Mr. George made a calculation with a pencil and paper, and found that it
amounted to thirty-three francs seventy-five centimes.

"I don't understand reckoning by francs and centimes very well," said
Rollo.

"No," replied Mr. George, "that is your misfortune; and you'll have to
bear it as well as you can till you get out of it."

So Mr. George entered the francs--thirty-three seventy-five--in Rollo's
book.

"You have got thirty-three francs to begin with," said he; "that's a
pretty good stock.

"Now, there is your allowance of ten francs per day. I will enter that
weekly. There are three days in this week, including to-day and Sunday.
That makes thirty francs."

So Mr. George entered the thirty francs.

"There," said he, "the whole amount due you up to Monday morning is
sixty-three francs seventy-five centimes. That is sixty-three francs and
three fourths. A hundred centimes make a franc.

"And now," continued Mr. George, "I will make you a payment, so as to
put you in funds, and that must be put down on the other side. How much
would you like?"

"I don't know," said Rollo; "a few francs, I suppose."

"Have you got a purse?" asked Mr. George. "Let me see it."

So Rollo took out a small leather bag which he had bought in London.

"That's it," said Mr. George. "I'll give you ten francs. When you want
more, you can have it--that is, provided it is due to you."

Here Mr. George rang a bell, and a waiter came in immediately. Mr.
George handed the waiter a sovereign, and asked him to get change for it
in French money. The waiter took the money, and presently came in with
five five-franc pieces. These he presented very respectfully to Mr.
George. Mr. George took two of them and gave them to Rollo. The others
he put into his own pocket. The five-franc pieces were very bright and
new, and they were of about the size of silver dollars. Rollo was very
much pleased with his portion, and put them in his purse, quite proud of
having so much spending money.

"And you say that I must not spend any of it without first asking you,"
said Rollo.

"O, no," replied Mr. George, "I have not said any such thing. That would
be a great deal of trouble, both for you and for me."

"But I thought you said that I was not to spend any thing without your
consent."

[Illustration: THE DINNER AT NEW HAVEN.]

"No," said Mr. George, "I said _against_ my consent. I may forbid your
spending whenever I think proper; but I shall not do so, so long as I
find you always ask me in doubtful cases. Spend for yourself freely,
whenever you are sure it is right. When you are not sure, ask me. If I
find you abuse the privilege, I shall have to restrict you. Otherwise,
not."

Rollo was well satisfied with this understanding of the case; and just
then the waiter came in, bearing a handsome silver tureen containing
soup, which he put down upon the table, between Mr. George and Rollo. So
the writing materials and the purses were put away, and the two
travellers were soon occupied very busily in eating their dinner.




CHAPTER II.

CROSSING THE CHANNEL.


Mr. Holiday had two reasons for making the arrangements described in the
last chapter, in respect to Rollo's expenses. In the first place, it
would gratify Rollo himself, who would feel more independent, and more
like a man, he thought, in being allowed thus, in some measure, to have
the charge and control of his own expenditures. But his second and
principal reason was, that he might accustom his son, in early life, to
bear pecuniary responsibilities, and to exercise judgment and discretion
in the use of money. Many young men never have any training of this sort
till they become of age. Before that time, whenever they wish for money,
they go to their father and ask for it. They take all they can get; and
when that is gone, they go and ask for more. They have no direct
personal motive for exercising prudence and economy, and they have no
experience of the evils that result from thriftlessness and
prodigality. It is much better for all children that they should have
pecuniary responsibilities, such as are suited to their years, thrown
upon them in their youth, when the mistakes they make in acquiring their
experience are of little moment. The same mistakes made after they
become of age might be their ruin.

In carrying the system into effect in Rollo's case, there seemed to be
something very abrupt, at least, if not positively harsh, in Mr.
George's mode of dealing with him. And yet Rollo did not dislike it. He
felt that his uncle was treating him more like a man, on this account,
or rather more like a large boy, and not like a child. In fact, a part
of the rough handling which Rollo got from his uncle was due to this
very circumstance--Mr. George having observed that he did not mind being
knocked about a little.

After dinner, Rollo proposed to his uncle that they should go out and
take a walk.

"I will go with you a few minutes," said Mr. George, "and then I must
return to my room, and write up my journal."

"Say half an hour," rejoined Rollo.

"Well," replied Mr. George, "we will say half an hour."

So they sallied forth upon the pier behind the hotel. Mr. George took a
general survey of the harbor, and of the vessels that were lying in it,
and also of the peaks and headlands which were seen at the mouth of it,
toward the sea.

"I should like to be on that hill," said Mr. George, "to look off over
the channel, and see if I could discern the coast of France from it."

"Let's go there," said Rollo.

"That would take more than half an hour," replied Mr. George.

"Well, at any rate, let's go on board the steamer," said Rollo.

So, taking Mr. George by the hand, he led him along to the brink of the
pier. Mr. George looked over, and saw the steamer lying at rest in its
muddy bed below.

"Is it possible?" said Mr. George, in a tone of great astonishment.

"Can it be possible?" repeated Mr. George.

"What?" inquired Rollo. "What is it that surprises you so much?"

"Why, to find such a steamer as this for the travel on one of the great
thoroughfares between England and France. Let's go down on board."

So Mr. George led the way, and Rollo followed down the plank. The plank
landed them on the top of the paddle box. From that place, a few steps
led to the deck. They walked along the deck a short distance toward the
stern, and there they found a door, and a small winding staircase
leading down into the cabin. They descended these stairs, one before the
other, for the space was not wide enough to allow of their going
together; and when they reached the foot of them they found themselves
in a small cabin, with one tier of berths around the sides. The cabin
was not high enough for two. There were berths for about twenty or
thirty passengers. The cabin was very neatly finished; and there was a
row of cushioned seats around it, in front of the berths. In one corner,
by the side of the door where Mr. George and Rollo had come in, was a
small desk, with writing materials upon it. This Rollo supposed must be
the "captain's office."

While Mr. George sat surveying the scene, and mentally comparing this
insignificant boat to the magnificent steamers on the Hudson River, in
America, with their splendid and capacious cabins on three different
decks, their promenade saloons, sometimes one hundred and fifty feet
long, with ranges of elegant state rooms on either hand, and sofas, and
couches, and _tête-à-têtes_ without number, in the middle, his
perplexity increased.

"I do not understand it at all," said he to Rollo. "I thought that there
would at least be as much travelling between London and Paris, the two
greatest cities in the world, as between New York and Albany. And yet
there are half a dozen steamers every day on the North River, carrying
from five hundred to one thousand passengers; while here, on the most
direct and cheapest route between London and Paris, is one single
steamer, that could not possibly carry one hundred passengers, and she
only goes once in two days."

Just then a young man, who seemed to be the clerk of the boat, came down
the cabin stairs, and, seeing Mr. George and Rollo there, he asked them
if they had taken their berths. They said that they had not; but they
immediately proceeded to choose their berths, or rather their _places_,
for there were no divisions separating the sleeping-places from each
other except what was formed by the cushions. There was a long cushion
for each sleeper, covered with crimson velvet or plush; and a round
cushion, shaped like a bolster, and covered in the same way, for his
head. On these cushions the passengers were expected to lie down without
undressing, placing themselves in a row, head to head, and feet to feet.
Mr. George chose two of these sleeping-places, one for himself, and the
other for Rollo, and the clerk marked them with a ticket.

Our two travellers then went up on deck again, and from the deck they
ascended the plank to the pier. It was now nearly sunset, and it was a
very pleasant evening. They sauntered slowly along the pier, until they
came to a place where some steps led down to the water. There were
several small boats at the foot of the steps, and in one of them was a
man doing something to the rudder. Rollo saw that on the other side of
the water was another long staircase leading down from the bank there,
so as to form a landing-place for small boats at all times of tide. He
also looked up and down the harbor, but he could see no bridge, and so
he supposed that this must be a sort of ferry for the people who wished
to cross from one side to the other.

As soon as the man who was in the boat saw Mr. George and Rollo standing
upon the pier, he rose up in his boat, and touching his hat at the same
time, or rather making a sort of jerk with his hand, which was meant to
represent a touch of the hat, he asked him if he would like to be rowed
across to the other side.

"Why, I don't know," said Mr. George. "What's the ferriage?"

"That's just as the gentleman pleases," said the man, with another jerk
at his hat.

"And how much do they generally please?" said Mr. George. "What's the
common custom?"

"O, gentlemen gives us what they likes," said the man. "We always leaves
it to them entirely."

Mr. George was silent. After a moment's pause, the boatman said again,--

"Would you like to go, sir? Very nice boat."

"Not on those terms," said Mr. George. "If you will tell me what the
usual ferriage is, I can then tell you whether we wish to go or not."

"Well, sir," replied the man, "gentlemen usually gives us about twopence
apiece."

"Twopence apiece. Very well, we will go."

Mr. George did not wait to ask Rollo whether he would like to go before
he decided the question. He would have considered this a mere waste of
time, for Rollo was always ready to go, no matter where.

So they got into the boat, and were rowed across the water. They
ascended the stairs on the other side, and walked a little way in a
smooth road which led along the bank. Rollo wished to go farther; but
Mr. George said that his time had expired, and that he must go back.
"But you may stay," said he to Rollo, "as long as you please, provided
that you come back before dark."

Rollo was much pleased with this permission, as he wished to go to the
top of the hill, at the outlet of the harbor, and look at the prospect.
He promised to return before dark.

"Have you any change," said Mr. George, "to pay your ferriage back?"

"No," said Rollo, "I have nothing but my five-franc pieces."

"Then I will lend you twopence," said Mr. George. "You can pay me the
first change you get in France."

"But I cannot get any pennies in France," said Rollo.

"True," said Mr. George; "you will get sous there. You must pay me four
sous. A penny is equal to two sous.

"I will pay your bill at the hotel, too," continued Mr. George, "as I
suppose they will make out yours and mine together, and you can pay me
your share to-morrow, when we land. Here is your ticket, however. You
must take charge of that."

"But suppose I lose it?" asked Rollo.

"Then you will have to pay over again," said Mr. George; "that is all.
You will lose about twenty francs; unless, indeed," he continued, "your
father should call it a casualty."

So Mr. George went back to the boat, and Rollo continued his walk,
thinking on the way of the question which his uncle had suggested,
whether his father would consider the loss of his ticket a casualty or
not. He determined, however, very resolutely, that he would not lose it;
and so he put it away safely in his wallet, and then went on. The road
was very smooth and pleasant to walk in, being bordered by green fields
on the one hand, and the water of the harbor on the other. Rollo came at
length to the hill. There were successive terraces, with houses built
upon them, on the sides of the hill, and paths leading to the summit.
Rollo had a fine view of the sea, and of the vessels and steamers which
were passing slowly in the offing, on their way up and down the channel;
but though he looked long and eagerly for the coast of France, it was
not to be seen.

Rollo rambled about the hill for a considerable time; for at that season
of the year the twilight continued very long, and it did not become dark
till quite late. When, at length, the shadows of the evening began to
shut in upon the landscape, he returned to the ferry, and the ferryman
rowed him back again to the hotel.

It was now nearly nine o'clock, and, of course, three hours remained
before the time of embarkation would arrive. Rollo was not sorry for
this, as he thought that there would be enough to amuse and occupy him
all this time on and around the pier. His first duty, however, was to go
and report himself to Mr. George as having returned from his walk. This
he did. He found his uncle very busy in his room, writing his journal.

"Now, Rollo," said Mr. George, "it is three hours before we are to
leave. What are you going to do all that time?"

"O, I shall find plenty to amuse myself with," said Rollo.

"Very well," said Mr. George. "You may play about wherever you are sure
it is safe. Don't go near the edge of the pier, unless there is somebody
at hand to pull you out of the water with a boathook, if you fall in.
Amuse yourself as long as you can; and when you are tired of taking care
of yourself, come to me, and I will tell you what to do."

Rollo, having received these instructions, left his uncle to his work,
and went away. He descended the stairs, and went out upon the pier
again, and after amusing himself, by examining every thing there, he
concluded to go on board the steamer. A train of cars had arrived from
London while he and his uncle had been on the other side of the water,
and there were now several new passengers in the cabin, who were
choosing and marking their berths, or talking together about the voyage.

Rollo thought that, in order to make sure that his ticket was all right,
he would climb up into his berth and see; and then, when he was there,
it seemed to him a very funny place to sleep in; so he laid down his
head upon the round cushion to try it. While he was in this position,
his attention was attracted by the sound of children's voices on the
stairs, talking French. Presently these children came into the cabin.
Their mother was with them. There were two of them, and they were not
more than five or six years old. Rollo was exceedingly astonished to
hear such little children talk French so well. Rollo listened to see if
he could understand what they said. He had studied French himself for a
year or two, and could say a great many things. In fact, he had been
accustomed to consider himself quite a good French scholar. But he now
found that all his acquisitions dwindled into utter insignificance, when
compared with the power over the language possessed by those little
girls.

The French party did not remain very long in the cabin where Rollo was,
but passed at once through a door which led to a small ladies' cabin
near. There were other persons, however, continually coming and going,
and Rollo was interested in watching their movements, and in listening
to the fragments of conversation which he heard. He found his position
very comfortable, too, and the sounds around him produced so lulling an
effect, that, before long, he insensibly closed his eyes. In a word, in
less than fifteen minutes after he climbed up into his berth to see what
sort of a place it was, he had put it fully to the test of experiment,
by going fast asleep in it.

In about half an hour after this, Mr. George, coming to the end of a
paragraph in his journal, laid down his pen, drew a long breath, looked
out the window, and then rang the bell. In a few minutes the chambermaid
came.

"Mary," said he, "I wish to ask the porter to go out and look about on
the pier, and in the packet, and see if he can see any thing of that boy
that came with me."

"Very well, sir," said Mary, with a quick courtesy; and she immediately
disappeared.

In about five minutes she came back, and said that the young master was
in his berth in the packet, sound asleep.

"Very well," said Mr. George, in his turn. "Much obliged to you." He
then went on with his writing.

The first thing that Rollo himself was conscious of, after falling
asleep in his berth, was a feeling of some one pulling him gently by the
shoulder. He opened his eyes, and saw before him a face that he did not
exactly know, and yet it was not entirely strange. The man had his hand
upon Rollo's shoulder, and was endeavoring to wake him.

"Your ticket, if you please, sir."

Rollo stared wildly a minute, first at the man, and then about the
cabin. It was night. Lamps were burning, and the cabin was full of
people. Some were in their berths, some in groups on the seats, and one
or two were just preparing to lie down. The engine was in motion, and
the ship was evidently going fast through the water. In fact, the
steamer was rocking and rolling as she went on, indicating that she was
already far out at sea.

"Your ticket, if you please, sir," repeated the clerk.

Rollo glanced around to his uncle's berth, and there he saw his uncle
lying quietly in his place, his head being on a cushion close to the one
on which Rollo's head had been lying.

"Uncle George," said Rollo, "he wants my ticket."

"Well," said Mr. George, without moving, "give him your ticket."

Rollo then recollected that he had his ticket in his wallet. So, after
fumbling for a time in his pocket, he brought out his wallet, and
produced the ticket, and handed it to the clerk.

"Thank you, sir," said the clerk, taking the ticket. At the same time he
put two other tickets in Rollo's wallet, in the place of the one which
he had taken out. As he did this, he pointed to one of the small ones,
saying,--

"That's for the landing."

Rollo shut up his wallet, and put it in his pocket.

"A shilling, if you please," said the clerk.

Rollo had no shilling, and was still not much more than half awake. So
he turned to his uncle again.

"Uncle George," said he, "he wants a shilling."

"Well, pay him a shilling, then," said Mr. George.

Rollo now felt for his purse, and taking out one of his five-franc
pieces, he gave it to the clerk, who, in return, gave him back a
quantity of change. Rollo attempted to count the change, but he soon
perceived that his ideas of francs and shillings were all in confusion.
So he turned the change all together into his purse, put the purse back
into his pocket, lay his head down upon his cushion again, shut his
eyes, and in one minute was once more fast asleep.

Some hours afterward he woke again, of his own accord. He opened his
eyes and looked about him, and perceiving that it was morning, he
climbed down from his berth, and then went up upon the deck. The coast
of France was all before him, in full view, and the steamer was rapidly
drawing near to it. He went to the bow of the vessel to get a nearer
view. He saw directly before him a place where there were piers, and
batteries, and other constructions indicating a town, while on either
hand there extended long ranges of cliffs, with smooth, green slopes of
land above, and broad, sandy shores below. In half an hour more the
steamer arrived at the entrance of the harbor, which was formed of two
long piers, built at a little distance from each other, and projecting
quite into the sea. The steamer glided rapidly along between these high
walls of stone, until, at length, it entered a broad basin, which was
bordered by a continuation of these walls, and hemmed in on every side
beyond the walls of the pier with ranges of the most quaint, and queer,
and picturesque-looking buildings that Rollo ever saw.

[Illustration: ENTERING DIEPPE.]

These buildings were not close to the pier, but were back far enough to
leave room for a street between them and the water. Such a street is
called a _quay_.[B] Quays are built in almost all the cities of Europe
where there are rivers or basins of water for shipping; and they are
very pleasant streets to walk in, having usually large and elegant
buildings on one side, and vessels and steamers on the other.

[B] Pronounced _kee_.

By the time that the steamer had entered the port, almost all the
passengers had come up from below, and Mr. George among the rest. Mr.
George came, expecting to find that, as they were now about to land, the
baggage would be brought out, and that the several passengers would be
called upon to select their own. But there was no movement of this kind.
The baggage had all been put down into the hold the night before, and
now the hatches were still closed, and there seemed to be no signs of
any preparation to open them.

In the mean time, the steamer gradually drew near to the pier. The
engine was stopped. Ropes were thrown out. People in queer dresses, some
of them soldiers, who were standing on the pier, caught the ropes and
fastened them. The steamer was thus brought to her place and secured
there.

There was now, however, no rush to get on shore,--such as Rollo had
always been accustomed to witness on board an American steamer on her
arrival,--but every thing was quiet and still. By and by a plank was
laid. Then the passengers were called upon to get out their tickets.
Then they began to walk over the plank, each one giving up his landing
ticket as he passed.

When Mr. George and Rollo reached the pier, they found, on looking
around them, that they were not yet at liberty. On the opposite side of
the quay was a building, with a sign over it, in French, meaning
custom-house office for packet boats; and there were two long ropes
stretched, one from the stem and the other from the stern of the
steamer, to the opposite sides of the door of this building, so as to
enclose a space on the quay, in front of the building, in such a manner
as to hem the passengers in, and make it necessary for them to pass
through the custom house. The ropes were guarded by soldiers, dressed in
what seemed to Rollo the queerest possible uniforms. They all talked
French--even those who had talked English when they came on board the
packet boat on the other side.

"I can't understand a word they say," said Rollo.

"Nor I," said Mr. George; "but we can watch and see what they will do."

It did not require long watching, for no sooner had Mr. George said
these words than he observed that the passengers were all going toward
the door of the custom-house, and that, as they went, they were taking
their passports out. Nobody can enter France without a passport. A
passport is a paper given to the traveller by his own government. This
paper tells the traveller's name, describes his person, and requests
that the French government will allow him to pass through their country.
Frenchmen themselves must have a passport too, though this is of a
little different kind. All must have a passport of some kind or other,
and all this machinery of ropes and soldiers was to make it sure that
every one of the passengers had the proper document.

The passengers accordingly took out their passports as they went into
the custom-house door, and there passed, in single file, before an
officer seated at a desk, who took them in turn, opened them, copied the
names in his book, and then gave them back to the owners. Mr. George and
Rollo followed on in the line. When their passports had been given back
to them, they went on with the rest until they came out from the
custom-house at another door, which brought them upon the quay outside
of the ropes.

"What's to be done next?" said Rollo.

"I am sure I don't know," said Mr. George, "I suppose we shall see."

There was an omnibus standing near, marked, "For the Iron Road,"--that
being the French name for railroad,--but nobody seemed to be getting
into it. In fact, the passengers, as fast as they came out from the
custom-house, seemed all very quiet, as if waiting for something. A
great many of them seemed to be French people, and they fell into little
groups, and began to talk very volubly together, some finding friends
who had come down to the quay to meet them, and others making friends,
apparently, for the occasion, of the soldiers and idlers that were
standing around.

"Could not you ask some of them," said Rollo, "what we are to do next?"

"I don't believe they would understand my French," said Mr. George. "I
am sure I don't understand theirs." In a moment, however, he turned to a
young man who was standing near, who seemed to be a waiter or servant
man belonging to the place.

"Do you speak English?"

"Yes, sir," said the man, in a very foreign accent, but yet in a very
pleasant tone.

"What are we waiting for?" asked Mr. George.

"You will wait, sir, for the baggages, and then for the visit of the
baggages."

"How long?" said Mr. George.

"Twenty minutes," said the man. He also gave Mr. George to understand
that he and Rollo might go and have some breakfast, if they chose. But
Mr. George thought it was not safe for them to go away from the spot. So
they waited where they were.

In a few minutes the hatches were opened on board the vessel, and the
sailors began to hoist out the trunks. As fast as they were brought up
to the decks men took them on shore, and carried them into the
custom-house by the same door where the passengers had entered. When all
the baggage was carried in, the ropes were taken down, and the
passengers went to the custom-house door again, to attend to the
examination of the baggage. A soldier stood at the door to prevent too
many going in at a time. Mr. George and Rollo followed the rest, and at
length it came their turn to have their trunks examined. This was done
very quick--the officers appearing to think, from the appearance of the
travellers, that they would not be likely to have any smuggled goods in
their possession. The officer, accordingly, just looked into the trunks,
and then shut down the lids, and marked them passed. A porter then took
them out at the side door. There, on Mr. George's telling them in French
that they were going to Paris by the railroad, the trunks were put upon
a cart, while Mr. George and Rollo got into the omnibus, and then they
were very soon driving along the quay, in the direction, as they
supposed, of the Paris railway station.




CHAPTER III.

JOURNEY TO PARIS.


The omnibus which Mr. George and Rollo had entered contained several
other passengers, some of whom had carpet bags and valises with them, as
if they, too, were going to Paris. Besides the driver, there was a
conductor, whose place was upon the step of the omnibus, behind. The
conductor opened and shut the doors for the passengers when they wished
to get in or out, and took the fare.

"How much is the fare?" said Rollo to Mr. George.

"I don't know," said Mr. George, shaking his head. He spoke, however, in
a very unconcerned tone, as if it were of very little consequence
whether he knew or not.

"What are you going to do about it, then?" said Rollo.

"I shall say, 'How much?' to him, when we get out; and then, if I do not
understand his answer, I shall give him a large piece of money, and let
him give me back as much change as he likes."

Rollo resolved that he would do so too.

Next to Mr. George and Rollo in the omnibus there sat a gentleman and
lady, who seemed to be, as they really were, a new-married pair. They
were making their bridal tour. The lady was dressed plainly, but well,
in travelling costume, and she had a handsome morocco carriage bag
hanging upon her arm. The gentleman was quite loaded with shawls, and
boxes, and umbrellas, and small bags, which he had upon his lap or at
his feet. Besides this, the lady had a trunk, which, together with that
of her husband, had been left behind, to come on the cart. She was very
anxious about this trunk, for it contained all her fine dresses. Her
husband was interested in the novel sights and scenes that presented
themselves to view in passing along the street; but she thought only of
the trunk.

"What strange costumes, Estelle!" said he. "Look! See that woman! What a
funny cap!"

"Yes," said Estelle; "but, Charley, don't you think it would have been
better for us to have brought our trunks with us on the omnibus?"

"I don't know," said her husband. "It is too late to think of that now.
I've no doubt that they are safe enough where they are. Look! There's a
girl with wooden shoes on. Those are the wooden shoes we have read about
so often in books. Look!"

Estelle glanced her eyes, for an instant, toward the wooden shoes, and
then began to look back along the street again, watching anxiously for
the trunks.

At length the omnibus approached the station. It entered through a
magnificent portal, under an arch. There was a soldier walking back and
forth, with his musket in his hand, bayonet fixed, to guard the
entrance. None but actual travellers were allowed to enter. The omnibus,
having entered the court, stopped before a splendid portico, where there
was a door leading into the building. The passengers paid their fares,
and got out. On entering the building, they found themselves in a
spacious apartment, with a great variety of partitions, offices,
enclosures, and railings, presenting themselves on every hand, the
meaning of all which it was very difficult to understand. There were
also signs marked first class, and second class, and third class, and
placards of notices to travellers, and time tables, and various similar
things. On the back side of the room were doors and windows, looking out
to a platform, where the train of cars was seen, apparently all ready to
set off. But the partitions and railings which were in the way
prevented the company from going out there.

There were a number of travellers in this room, several parties having
arrived there before the omnibus came. Many of these persons were
waiting quietly, talking in little groups, or resting themselves by
sitting upon their carpet bags. Others were looking about eagerly and
anxiously, wondering what they were to do, or trying to find somebody
who could tell them about the baggage. Estelle was the most restless and
uneasy of all. She went continually to the door to look down the road,
to see if the cart was coming.

"Charles," said she, "what a shame it is that they don't come with the
trunks! The train is all ready, and will go off before they come."

"O, no," said her husband; "I think not. Don't be anxious about them.
I've no doubt they will be here in time. Come with me, and let us look
about the station, and see how it differs from ours."

But Estelle would not allow her thoughts to be diverted from her trunk.
She remained on the steps, looking anxiously down the road. Some of the
other passengers who were unused to travelling, seeing her look so
anxious, and not understanding what she said, supposed that some
accident had happened, or that some unusual delay had occurred, and they
began to be anxious too. Just then a bell began to ring out upon the
platform.

"There!" exclaimed Estelle. "The train is going! What shall we do? Why
_can't_ you ask somebody, Charles?"

"Why, I can't speak French," said Charles; "and they would not
understand me if I ask in English."

"Yes they would," said Estelle; "I'm sure they would. There are so many
English travellers going on these roads now, that it must be that they
have men here that speak English. There's a man," said she, pointing to
a person in livery who was standing within a sort of enclosure.

Mr. Charles, thus urged, walked across the hall to the railing, though
very reluctantly, and asked the man if he could tell him why the trunks
did not come.

"Sir?" said the man, in French, and looking as if he did not understand.

"Do you speak English?" asked Mr. Charles.

"There," said the man, pointing across the room. Mr. Charles looked, and
saw another man, who, by the livery or uniform which he wore, seemed to
be a porter belonging to the station, standing by a window. He
accordingly went across to ask the question of him.

"Do you speak English, sir?" said he.

"Yes, sare," replied the man, speaking with great formality, and in a
very foreign accent, making, at the same time, a very polite bow.

"What is the reason that our baggage does not come?" asked Mr. Charles.

"_Yes_, sare," replied the porter, speaking in the same manner.

"Why does not it come?" asked Mr. Charles again. "We put it upon a cart
at the custom-house, and why does not it come?"

"Yes, sare," replied the porter, with another very polite bow.

Mr. Charles, perceiving that the porter's knowledge of English
consisted, apparently, in being able to say, "Yes, sir," and mortified
at the absurd figure which he made in attempting to make useless
inquiries in such a way, bowed in his turn, and went back to Estelle in
a state of greater alienation of heart from her than he had ever
experienced before. And as this book may, perhaps, be read sometimes by
girls as well as boys, I will here, for their benefit, add the remark,
that there is no possible way by which a lady can more effectually
destroy any kind feeling which a gentleman may entertain for her than
by forcing him to exhibit himself thus in an awkward and ridiculous
light, by her unreasonable exactions on journeys, or rides, or walks, or
excursions of any kind that they may be taking together.

Rollo and his uncle George had witnessed this scene, and had both been
much interested in watching the progress of it. Rollo did not know but
that there was some real cause for solicitude about the baggage,
especially as several of the lady passengers who were standing with
Estelle at the door seemed to be anxiously looking down the road.

"Do you feel any anxiety about our trunks coming?" asked Rollo.

"Not the least," said Mr. George, quietly.

"Why not?" asked Rollo. "Are you sure that they will come?"

"No," said Mr. George; "but there are a good many excellent reasons why
I should not feel any anxiety about them. In the first place, I have
some little confidence in the railway arrangements made in this country.
The French are famous all the world over for their skill in
systematizing and regulating all operations of this kind, so that they
shall work in the most sure and perfect manner. It does not seem at all
probable to me, therefore, that they can manage so clumsily here, on one
of the great lines between England and France, as to get all the trunks
of a whole steamer load of passengers upon a cart, and then loiter with
it on the way to the station, and let the train go off without it."

"Well," said Rollo, "that's a good reason; but you said there were
several."

"Another is, that, if they are capable of managing so clumsily as to
have such a thing happen, we cannot help it, and have nothing to do but
to bear it quietly. We put our trunks in the proper place to have them
brought here. We could not have done otherwise, with propriety, for that
was the regular mode provided for conveying the baggage; and if there is
a failure to get it here, we are not to fret about it, but to take it as
we would a storm, or a break down, or any other casualty--that is, take
it quietly."

"Yes," said Rollo; "that's a good reason. Are there any more?"

"There is one more," said Mr. George; "and that is, I am not anxious
about the trunks coming in season, for I don't care a fig whether they
come or not."

"O, uncle George!" exclaimed Rollo.

"I do not," said Mr. George; "for if they do not come, the only
consequence will be, that we shall have to wait two or three hours for
the next train, which will give us just time to ramble about a little in
this queer-looking town of Dieppe, and get some breakfast, and perhaps
have some curious adventures in trying to talk French. In fact, I rather
hope the baggage won't come."

Mr. George was destined to be disappointed in this rising desire, for,
while he and Rollo were talking, Estelle came running in to her husband
with a countenance full of joy, saying that the cart had come, and
urging him to come and get their trunks off as quick as possible. Her
eagerness was increased by hearing the bell again, which now began to
toll, leading her to think that the train was going off immediately. The
porters, however, whose business it was to carry the trunks in, did not
seem to be at all disturbed by the sound, but began to take off the
trunks, one by one, and convey them up into the station. Here they were
placed upon a sort of counter, from whence they were taken off on the
other side, and weighed in a curiously contrived pair of scales placed
there for the purpose. If any trunk weighed over a certain number of
pounds,--the amount which, according to the regulations of the road,
each passenger was allowed to carry,--then the surplus had to be paid
for. There was a little office close to the weighing machine; and as
fast as the trunks were weighed, the result was reported to the clerk,
who made out a bill for the surplus, whatever it was, and the passenger
paid it through an opening. If there was no surplus weight, then they
gave the passenger a similar bill, which was to be his check for his
trunk at the end of the journey. Every thing was, however, so admirably
arranged, that all this was done very rapidly.

Mr. Charles, when he found that the trunks were all to be weighed,
proposed to go with Estelle to the cars, so as to get a good seat for
her; but Estelle chose to remain and make sure that her trunk was
attended to. It happened that Mr. George's trunk and Rollo's were
weighed among the first; and as soon as they got their checks, Mr.
George said,--

"Now for our seats in the cars."

"But which way are we to go?" said Rollo.

"I don't know," said Mr. George. "Go and show that man your ticket, and
ask him where we are to go."

"In French?" said Rollo.

"Yes," said Mr. George.

So Rollo went to the man who was standing by a sort of gateway which led
through a partition railing, as if he were there to guard the passage;
and holding up his little pasteboard ticket, he said, in French,--

"Where to go?"

The man looked at the ticket, and, seeing that first class was printed
upon it, he pointed in a certain direction, and said something in
French, speaking, however, in so rapid and voluble a manner, that Rollo
could not understand a single word. He, however, understood the sign.

"This way, uncle George," said Rollo. "He says we must go this way."

Following the indication which the man had given, Mr. George and Rollo
passed out upon the platform, where they found the train ready for them.
There were various attendants upon the platform, dressed in a quaint
sort of uniform, the livery, as it were, of the railroad company. One of
them looked at Rollo's ticket, and then opened the door of a first-class
car. The cars were made like those in England, in separate compartments,
each compartment being like a large coach, with one front seat, and one
back, facing each other. There were four places; that is, room for four
passengers on each seat. Of course, only those at the ends were near
the window. Rollo and Mr. George took the two seats nearest the window
on the side where they got in, as one of the seats at the opposite side
was already occupied by a gentleman. The gentleman seemed to be an
Englishman, for he was reading the London Times.

Rollo and Mr. George had been seated only two or three minutes before
Estelle and her husband came along, Estelle leading the way. The
attendant opened the door of the car, and Estelle, followed by her
husband, got in. They passed between Mr. George and Rollo, and stood
there for a moment, looking about for a good seat. A freight train was
slowly trundling by at this time on an adjoining track, so that what
they said was not very audible; but still, Mr. George and Rollo could
hear it.

"I want a seat by the window," said Estelle, "where I can look out and
see the country. Ask that gentleman if he would not be willing to take a
middle seat, and let us sit together by the window."

"We had better go to some other car," said her husband, in an undertone.
"_He_ wishes to see the country, probably, himself, and has come early,
perhaps, so as to get a good seat."

"O, no," said Estelle; "this is a very nice car; and he would just as
soon change as not, I have no doubt. Ask him, Charley; do."

So Estelle moved to one side for her husband to pass. Mr. Charles, thus
urged, approached the gentleman, and said, in a very bland and
respectful manner,--

"Should you have any objection, sir, to move your seat, so as to let
this lady sit by the window?"

The gentleman raised his eyes from his paper, and looked at Mr. Charles
an instant, and then answered quietly,--

"I prefer this seat, sir."

He then went on with his reading as before.

Estelle pouted her lip, and said, though in a tone too low, perhaps, for
the gentleman to hear, "What a rude man!"

"We will give you _these_ seats, sir," said Mr. George, "if you would
like them."

"Yes, they'll do just as well," said Estelle, speaking to her husband.

Mr. George rose, and saying, "Come, Rollo," he left the car.

Mr. George had some trouble in looking for other seats; but at length he
succeeded in finding two that were as good as those which they had left.

"I think she might at least have thanked you for giving up your seat to
accommodate her," said Rollo.

"I did not do it to accommodate her," said Mr. George; "I did it to get
out of the sight and hearing of her. I would not ride from here to Paris
in the same car with such a fussmaker for all the prospects in France. I
had rather be shut up in a freight car."

"How much trouble she makes her husband!" said Rollo.

"It is not the trouble," said Mr. George, "it is the mortification and
annoyance. She is a perpetual torment. If that's the way that young
wives treat their husbands on the bridal tour, I'm thankful that I am
not a bridegroom."

The train soon set out, and Mr. George and Rollo, forgetting Estelle,
soon began to enjoy the ride. They were both extremely interested in the
views which they obtained from their windows as they passed along, and
with the antique and quaint appearance of the country--the ancient stone
cottages, with thatched roofs; the peasants, in their picturesque
dresses; the immense tracts of cultivated country, divided in green and
brown patches, like the beds of a garden, but with no fences or
enclosures of any kind to be seen; the great forests, with trees planted
closely in rows, like the corn in an American cornfield; and the
roadways which they occasionally passed--immense avenues, bordered on
either hand with double rows of majestic trees, and extending across the
country, as straight as the street of a city, till lost in the horizon.
These and a thousand other things, which were all the time presenting
themselves to view, kept the travellers continually full of wonder and
delight.

After going on thus for several hours, the train stopped in a very
spacious depot, where there was a large refreshment room; and as one of
the attendants called out that there would be ten minutes of rest, both
Mr. George and Rollo got out, and went into the refreshment room. They
found a great multitude of cakes and meats spread out upon an immense
counter, and dishes of every kind, all totally unknown to them. They, of
course, could not call for any thing; but, after taking a survey, they
helped themselves to what they thought looked as if it might be good,
and then paid in the same way, by letting the girls that attended the
tables help themselves to money which the travellers held out to them in
their hands. They then took their seats again in the car, and soon
afterward the train moved on.

The place where they had stopped was Rouen, which, as well as Dieppe and
Paris, the reader will find, on examining any map of France. In the
course of the ride from Rouen to Paris, Mr. George and Rollo fell into
quite a conversation, in which Rollo received a great deal of very good
advice from Mr. George in respect to the care of himself when he should
get to Paris.

"I suppose that I should be sure to get lost," said Rollo, "if I should
attempt to go out in such a great city alone."

"No," said Mr. George, "not at all. A person can walk about a great way,
sometimes, in a strange city, without getting lost. All he has to do is
to take care, at first, to go only in such directions as that he can
keep the way home in his mind."

"I don't know what you mean, exactly, by that," said Rollo.

"Why, suppose you were in a great city, and you come out at the door of
your hotel, and there you find a long, straight street. You walk along
that street half a mile. Then don't you think you could find your way
home?"

"Yes," said Rollo.

"Certainly," said Mr. George, "because you have it in your mind that the
way home is directly back by that same street, till you come to the
hotel. Now, suppose that, after going along in that street for half a
mile, you should come to a great church, upon a corner, and should turn
there to the right, and go for some distance in another street leading
off from the first one; don't you think you could _then_ find your way
home?"

"Yes," said Rollo, "I should go back to the church, and then turn to the
left, and so go home."

"Very well," said Mr. George; "by proceeding cautiously in that way,
carrying your way home in your mind with you all the time, you can
ramble a great deal about a strange city without getting lost, and go
farther and farther every day.

"Then, besides, if you do get lost, it is of no consequence. You can
always ask the way back; or, if worst comes to worst, you can take a
cab, and tell the man to drive you home."

"Yes," said Rollo, "I suppose I could always do that."

"Only you must be sure," said Mr. George, "not to forget the name of
your hotel. Once I was walking about in Paris, and I saw a colored girl
on the sidewalk, before me, who seemed to be inquiring something of the
people that she met, without appearing to get any satisfactory answer. I
thought she was an American girl; and so I went to her, and asked her in
French what she wanted to know--for I observed that she was speaking
French. She said she wished to know what was the name of the hotel where
most of the Americans lodged. I could not speak French very well myself,
and so I could not ask her for any explanations; but I supposed that she
belonged to some American party, and had lost her way in going somewhere
of an errand, and had forgotten the name of the hotel. So I told her the
names of two or three hotels where Americans were accustomed to lodge,
and she went away."

"Did she find her own hotel?" asked Rollo.

"I don't know," said Mr. George. "I never knew what became of her."

"How did she learn French, do you suppose?" asked Rollo.

"I presume she came from New Orleans," replied Mr. George, "where nearly
all the people speak French."

Thus our two travellers beguiled their journey, by talking sometimes
about the novel and curious objects which presented themselves to view,
in the landscape, as the train rolled rapidly along on its way, and
sometimes about what they expected to see and to do on their arrival in
Paris. At length, the indications that they were approaching the great
capital began to multiply on every hand. The villages were more
frequent. Villas, parks, and palaces came into view; and here and there
an ancient castle reposed on the slope of a distant hill, or frowned
from its summit. At length, Rollo, turning his head to the window
opposite to the one where he had been looking out, exclaimed suddenly,--

"Look there! Uncle George, what's that?"

Mr. George said that that was Napoleon's famous Triumphal Arch, that
forms the grand entrance to Paris, on the way to the royal palaces. It
was a large, square building, splendidly adorned with sculptures and
architectural ornaments, and towering high into the air out of the midst
of a perfect sea of houses, streets, avenues, trees, gardens, and
palaces, which covered the whole country around. It stood upon a
commanding elevation, which made its magnitude and its height seem all
the more impressive. Through the centre of it was a magnificent archway,
wide enough for four carriages to pass abreast.

"It is the Triumphal Arch," said Mr. George, "by which all grand
processions enter Paris on great public days of rejoicing. We will go
out and see it some day. It is called the Triumphal Arch of Neuilly,
because it is on the road that leads to Neuilly."[C]

[C] It is also called the Arc de l'Etoile. Etoile means _star_, and the
French give that name to a place where several roads diverge from one
point. Roads so diverging form a sort of star. The reader will find this
arch on any map of Paris, with the roads diverging from it.

By this time the Triumphal Arch had passed out of view, and presently
the train of cars began to be shut in by buildings, and the usual
indications appeared of the approach to a great station. Queer-looking
signals, of mysterious meaning,--some red, some blue, some round, some
square,--glided by, and men in strange and fantastic costumes stood on
the right hand and on the left, with little flags in their hands, and
one arm extended, as if to show the locomotive the way.

At length the convoy (as the French call a railway train) came to a
stand, and an attendant, in uniform, opened the door of the car. Mr.
George and Rollo got out and looked about, quite bewildered with the
magnificence of the scene around them. The station was very extensive,
and was very splendid in its construction, and there were immense
numbers of people going and coming in it in all directions. Still, every
thing was so well regulated that there was no disorder or confusion.
There was a line of carriages drawn up in a certain place near the
platform; but the coachmen remained quietly by them, awaiting calls from
the passengers, instead of vociferously and clamorously offering their
services, as is customary at the stations in America. Nor was there any
pushing or crowding for trunks and baggage. In fact, the trunks were all
to be examined before they could go into the city; for there are
separate duties for the city of Paris, in addition to those for France.
The baggage was, therefore, all taken from the baggage car, and arranged
in an immense apartment, on counters, which extended all around the
sides, and up and down the middle; and then, when all was ready, the
passengers were admitted, and each one claimed his own. Mr. George and
Rollo easily found their trunks, and, on presenting their tickets, an
officer required them to open the trunks, that he might see if there was
any thing contraband inside. As soon, however, as he perceived that Mr.
George and Rollo were foreigners, and that their trunks had come from
beyond sea, he shut down the lids again, saying, "It is well." A porter
then took the trunks and carried them out to a carriage.

"Hotel of the Rhine, Place Vendome," said Mr. George, in French, to the
coachman, by way of directing him where to go.

[Illustration: THE ARRIVAL.]

"Yes--yes--yes--yes," said the coachman.

It is so natural and easy for the French to talk, that they generally
use all the words they can to express their meaning, besides an infinity
of gestures. Thus, when they wish to say yes, they often repeat the yes
four or five times, in a very rapid manner, thus:--

Yes--yes--yes--yes.

Mr. George got into the coach, and Rollo followed him. As they drove
along the streets, Rollo tried to look out the window and see; but the
window was so small, and the streets were so narrow, and the coachman,
moreover, drove so fast, that he had very little opportunity to make
observations. At length he caught a momentary glimpse of a monstrous
column standing in the middle of an open square; and immediately
afterward the carriage drove in under an archway, and came to a stand,
in a small, open court, surrounded with lofty buildings. This was the
hotel. There was a small room, which served as a porter's lodge, in this
court, near where the coach stopped. A girl came to the door of this
lodge to receive the guests. She bowed to Mr. George and Rollo with
great politeness, and seemed glad to see them. Mr. George spoke to her
in French, to say what rooms he wished to engage. What he said,
literally translated, was this:--

"We want two chambers for ourselves, at the third, and an apartment of
three pieces, at the second, for a gentleman, lady, and their young
girl, whom we attend to-morrow."

The girl, who was very neatly and prettily dressed, and was very
agreeable in her manners, immediately said, "Very well," and rang a
bell. A servant man came at the summons, and, taking the trunks, showed
Mr. George and Rollo up to their rooms.




CHAPTER IV.

THE GARDEN OF THE TUILERIES.


The first Sunday that Rollo spent in Paris he met with quite a singular
adventure.

His father and mother had arrived the evening before, and had
established themselves quite comfortably in the "apartment of three
pieces," which Mr. George had engaged for them. An apartment, according
to the French use of the term, is not a single room, but a group of
rooms, suitable to be occupied by one family. The number of _pieces_ is
the number of rooms.

Mr. Holiday's three rooms were a small but beautifully furnished parlor,
where they had breakfast, and two bed rooms. One bed room was for
himself and Mrs. Holiday, and the other was for Jennie. There were a
great many splendid mirrors in these rooms, and other elegant furniture.
The floors were not carpeted, but were formed of dark and polished wood,
curiously inlaid, with rugs here and there at the doors and before the
sofas and chairs. There was a small, square rug before every chair, and
a large one before the sofa. There were a great many other curious
things to be observed in the arrangements of the room. The fireplace,
for example, was closed by plates of sheet iron, which could be shoved
up and down like the sashes of a window; while the windows themselves
opened like doors, each having a great brass fastening, like a latch, in
the middle, and hinges at the sides.

Rollo had gone with his father and mother to church in the morning, and
at about one o'clock they returned. Rollo and Jennie remained at home,
after one, for an hour or two, waiting for their uncle George to come.
He had gone away somewhere, and had not yet returned. While thus
waiting, the children sat at the window of their parlor, which they
opened by swinging the two sides of the sash entirely back, so that they
could see out to great advantage. The window opened down quite low; but
there was a strong iron bar passing across from side to side, to keep
them from falling out. The children sat at this window, amusing
themselves with what they could see in the square. The name of the
square was the Place Vendome. There was a very large and lofty column in
the centre of it. This column is very greatly celebrated for its
magnitude and its beauty. It is twelve feet in diameter, and nearly a
hundred and forty feet high. But what is most remarkable is, that the
whole exterior of it, enormous as the mass is, is formed of brass. The
brass was obtained by melting up the cannons which Napoleon took from
his enemies. At the end of one of his campaigns he found that he had
twelve hundred cannons which he had taken from the Russians and
Austrians, with whom he had been at war; and after reflecting for some
time on the question, what he should do with them, he concluded to send
them to Paris, and there to have them made into this enormous column, to
ornament the centre of the Place Vendome.

The column, though made of brass, is not bright upon the outside, but
dark, like bronze, and the surface is ornamented with figures in what
are called bas relief, representing the battles and victories in which
the cannon out of which the column was composed were taken from the
enemy.

Rollo and Jennie, in looking at this column from the window of their
hotel, observed that around the foot of it there was a square space
enclosed by an iron railing, forming a sort of yard. There was a gate in
the front side of this railing. This gate was open; but there were two
soldiers standing by it, with guns in their hands, as if to prevent any
body from going in.

The column itself, as is usual with such columns, did not stand directly
upon the ground, but upon a square pedestal, which was built of massive
blocks of granite, resting on a deep and strong foundation; and as the
column itself was twelve feet in diameter, the pedestal, being
necessarily somewhat larger, was quite a considerable structure. In the
front of it, opposite the gate in the iron railing, was a door. The door
was open, but nothing was to be seen but darkness within.

"I wonder what they do in there?" said Rollo. "The gate is open, and the
door is open; but I suppose the soldiers would not let any body go in to
see. Do you suppose, Jennie, that it can be possible that there is any
way to get up to the top of the column by going in at that door?"

"Yes," replied Jennie; and so saying, she pointed eagerly to the top of
the column, and added, "For there are some boys up there now."

Rollo looked up to the top of the column. There was a statue of Napoleon
upon the summit, which appeared to be of about the ordinary size of a
man, though it is really about eight times as large as life, being twice
as large in every dimension. It looks small, on account of its being so
high in the air. Beneath this statue and around the top of the column
the children saw that there was a small gallery, with a railing on the
outside of it. Several persons were standing on this gallery, leaning on
the railing. At first Rollo thought that they were sculptured figures
placed there, like the statue of Napoleon on the top, for ornament; but
presently he saw some of them move about, which convinced him that they
were real men. Two of them were soldiers, as was evident from the red
uniform which they wore. But they all looked exceedingly small.

"There must be a staircase inside," said Rollo, "or else some ladders.
If not, how could those men get up?"

"Yes," said Jennie.

"I should like to go up there very much," said Rollo, "if I could only
get by the soldiers."

"I should not dare to go up to such a high place," said Jennie, shaking
her head solemnly.

At the foot of the column and outside of the railing which formed the
enclosure around the pedestal was a very broad and smooth place, as
smooth as a floor, and raised like a sidewalk above the street. It was
very broad, and people walked over it in passing through the square.
There was only one way of passing through the square, and that was from
north to south. From east to west there was no street, but the ranges of
houses and palaces continued on those sides unbroken. These edifices
presented a very fine architectural frontage toward the square, and gave
to the whole space which they enclosed a very rich and grand appearance.
Over the doors of two or three of the houses there were small tricolored
flags flying; and wherever these flags were, there were soldiers on the
sidewalk below guarding the doors. But neither Rollo nor Jennie was able
to imagine what this could mean.

About three o'clock, when Rollo and Jennie had began to be tired of
looking at the column, their mother came into the room. She said that
Mr. Holiday was fatigued and was going to lie down, and that neither he
nor herself would go out again. Rollo then asked if he and Jennie might
go out and take a walk. His mother seemed to hesitate about it, but
presently said that she would go and ask Mr. Holiday if he thought it
would be safe. She accordingly went into the bed room, and very soon
returned, saying that Mr. Holiday thought it would be safe for them to
go if he gave them some directions.

"He says," added Mrs. Holiday, "that you may get ready, and then go into
his room, and he will give you the directions. Only you must not talk
much with him, for it hurts him to talk. Hear what he has to say, and
then come out immediately."

So the children made themselves ready, and then went into their father's
room. They found him sitting in a great arm chair by a window where the
sun was shining. He looked pale and tired. When the children came in,
however, he turned to them with a smile, and said,--

"Children, I am glad you are going out to take a walk. You can go very
safely, if you follow my directions.

"This is the Place Vendome. There are only two ways of going out of it.
One leads to the north, and the other to the south.

"If you take the road which goes to the north, that is, that way," said
Mr. Holiday, pointing, "you will go out by the street which is called
the Street of Peace.[D] The Street of Peace is straight, and pretty
broad; and if you follow it to the end of it, you will come to the
Boulevards."

[D] Mr. Holiday called this street, of course, by its French name; but
we give its name here in English, for the convenience of the reader, who
may, perhaps, not be able to pronounce French.

"What are the Boulevards?" asked Rollo.

"Hush!" said Jennie, gently touching Rollo at the same time with her
hand.

"Boulevards," said Mr. Holiday, "means bulwarks. A great many years ago
there was a line of bulwarks or fortifications all around Paris; but at
length, when the city grew too large for them, they levelled them down
and made a very broad and handsome street where they had been, and then
afterward made a new line of fortifications farther out. This broad and
handsome street, or rather, series of streets, is called the Boulevards.
It extends almost entirely around the city. Of course, when you get into
the Boulevards, you are in no danger of losing yourselves; for you can
go on as far as you please, either way, and then come back to the Street
of Peace again, and then come home."

"Yes," said Rollo, "I understand."

Here Jennie gently touched Rollo again, to remind him that he was not to
talk.

"You will know the Boulevards at once when you come to them," continued
Mr. Holiday, "they are so much broader and more beautiful than any of
the other streets of Paris. Even the sidewalks are as wide as many
ordinary streets; and there are rows of young trees along the edges of
the sidewalks. Now, if you choose, you can go out from the Place Vendome
on the northern side, by the Street of Peace, and so walk on till you
come to the Boulevards. Then you can walk along the Boulevards as far as
you please.

"Or," continued Mr. Holiday, "you can take the opposite course. You can
go out of the Place Vendome on the southern side. That will bring you
directly in the garden of the Tuileries."

"I should like to go into a garden," said Jennie, "and see the flowers."

"You will see," continued Mr. Holiday, "as soon as you begin to go out
of the Place Vendome, at a little distance before you, perhaps as far as
two or three blocks in New York, a wall of green trees."

"A wall of green trees!" exclaimed Rollo.

"Yes," said his father. "It is a thick row of trees growing in the
garden, and having the side toward the street trimmed smooth and
straight like a wall. The entrance through this range of trees, opposite
the gateway where you go into the garden, looks like an archway in a
green wall. You will see it before you as soon as you turn the corner of
this hotel into the street that leads that way. You can walk straight on
till you come to the place. There you will find the entrance to the
garden. There is a very high iron palisade along the side of the garden
toward the street, with the rows of trees which I have spoken of inside
of it. There is a gateway through this palisade where you can go in.
There are two soldiers there to guard the gateway."

"Then how can we get in?" asked Jennie.

"O, go right in," replied Mr. Holiday. "Pay no attention to the
soldiers. They will not say any thing to you. They are only sentinels.

"After you pass through the gateway, you keep on in the same direction,
without turning to the right hand or to the left, just as if you were
going across the garden. You go on in this way till you get to the
middle alley, which is a very wide alley, that runs up and down the
middle of the garden. This alley is called the Grand Alley, and it is a
very grand alley indeed. It is as broad as a very wide street, and it is
nearly two miles long.[A] It begins at the palace of the Tuileries, in
the middle of the city, and extends through the whole length of the
gardens of the Tuileries; and then, passing out through great gates at
the foot of the garden, it extends through the Elysian Fields, away out
to the great Triumphal Arch of the Star, which you saw from the cars
when you were coming into the city.

"Now, when you get into the Grand Alley, which you will know by its
being the broadest, and smoothest, and most splendid grand walk that you
ever saw, you must stop for a minute, and look both ways. I'll tell you
what you will see. First, if you turn to the left, that is, toward the
east, you will see at the end of the alley, in that direction, a long
range of splendid buildings, extending across from side to side. In the
opposite direction, at the top of a long, gentle slope, a mile and a
half away, you will see the grand Triumphal Arch. That is at the barrier
of the city. The view is not entirely open, however, out to the arch.
About midway, in the centre of the Grand Alley, is a tall obelisk,
standing on a high pedestal, and farther along there are one or two
fountains. Still you can see the Triumphal Arch very plainly, it is so
large, and it stands so high.

"Now, the Grand Alley is nearly two miles long, and, wherever you may be
in it, you can always see the palace at one end, the arch at the other,
and the Egyptian obelisk in the middle. So that, as long as you walk
back and forth in this alley, keeping these things in sight, you cannot
lose your way.

"Only I ought to say," continued Mr. Holiday, "that the garden does not
extend all the way to the barrier. The garden extends, perhaps, half a
mile. Near the bottom of it is a great basin or pond of water, with a
stone margin to it all around. You will have to go round this basin, for
the centre of it is exactly in the middle of the Grand Alley. Then you
come very soon to the end of the garden, and you will go out through
great iron gates, but still you will keep on in the same direction. Here
you will come to a very large, open square, with the obelisk in the
centre of it, and fountains and statues in it all around. Still you will
keep straight on across this square, only you will have to turn aside to
go round the obelisk. After you pass through the square, the Grand Alley
still continues on, though now it becomes a Grand Avenue, leading
through pleasure grounds, with ranges of trees and of buildings on
either side. It becomes very wide here, being as wide as two or three
ordinary streets, and will be filled with carriages and horsemen. But
there will be good broad sidewalks for you on either hand, under the
shade of the trees; and you will know where you are all the time, for
you can always see the palace at one end of the view, and the great
Triumphal Arch at the other, with the obelisk in the middle between
them.

"The amount of it is," added Mr. Holiday, speaking in a tone as if he
were about finishing his instructions, "you can go out of the Place
Vendome to the north, and keep straight on till you come to the
Boulevards, and walk there either way as far as you like. Or you can go
south, and keep straight on till you come to the middle of the Grand
Alley of the garden of the Tuileries, and then walk in the Grand Alley
and the Grand Avenue which forms the continuation of it as long as you
like. Which way will you go?"

"I would rather go to the garden," said Rollo, looking toward Jennie.

"Yes," said Jennie, "and so would I."

Thus it was settled that they were to take the street which led toward
the south from the Place Vendome; and so, bidding their father good by,
they went away. Before leaving the house, however, Rollo went to a
secretary which stood in the parlor, and took down a map, in order to
show Jennie the places which his father had mentioned, and to make it
sure that they understood the directions which they had received. Rollo
found the Place Vendome very readily upon the map, and the street
leading to the gardens. He also found the Grand Alley running through
the garden; and following this alley between the rows of trees, he
showed Jennie a small circle which he thought must be the basin of
water, and the place where the obelisk stood; and finally he pointed out
the place where the Grand Alley widened out into the Grand Avenue and
led on toward the barrier.

Jennie did not understand the map very well; but she seemed satisfied
with Rollo's assurances that he himself could find all the places.

"It is all right, you may depend," said Rollo. "I can find the way, you
may be sure."

So he put up the map, bade his mother good by, and then he and Jennie
sallied forth.

The hotel was situated on the corner of the Place Vendome and the street
which led toward the garden; and as soon as the children had turned this
corner, after coming out from under the archway of the hotel, they saw
at some distance before them, at the end of the street, the iron
palisade, and the green wall of trees above it, which formed the
boundary of the garden.

"There it is!" exclaimed Rollo. "There is the garden and the gateway!
and it is not very far!"

The children walked along upon the sidewalk hand in hand, looking
sometimes at the elegant carriages which rolled by them from time to
time in the street, and sometimes at the groups of ladies and children
that passed them on the sidewalk. At the first corner that they came to,
Rollo's attention was attracted by the sight of a man who had a box on
the edge of the sidewalk, with a little projection on the top of it
shaped like a man's foot. Rollo wondered what it was for. Just before he
reached the place, however, he saw a gentleman, who then happened to
come along, stop before the box and put his foot on the projection.
Immediately the man took out some brushes and some blacking from the
inside of the box, which was open on the side where the man was
standing, and began to brush the gentleman's boot.

"Now, how convenient that is!" said Rollo. "If you get your shoes or
your boots muddy or dusty, you can stop and have them brushed."

So saying, he looked down at his own boots, almost in hopes that he
should find that they needed brushing, in order that he might try the
experiment; but they looked very clean and bright, and there seemed to
be no excuse for having them brushed again.

Besides, Jennie was pulling him by the hand, to hasten him along. She
said at the same time, in an undertone,--

"Look, Rollo, look! See! there is a blind lady walking along before us!"

"Blind?" repeated Rollo.

"Yes," said Jennie; "don't you see the little dog leading her?"

There was a little dog walking along at a little distance before the
lady, with a beautiful collar round his neck, and a cord attached to it.
The lady had the other end of the cord in her hand.

"I don't believe she is blind," said Rollo.

As the children passed by the lady she turned and looked at them, or
seemed to look, and manifested no indications of being blind. Afterward
Jennie saw a great many other ladies walking with little dogs, which
they led, or which led them, by means of a cord which the owner of the
dog held in her hand. There were so many of these cases that Jennie was
compelled to give up the idea of their being blind; but she said that
she never knew any body but blind people led about by dogs before.

At length the children arrived at the entrance to the garden. It was on
the farther side of a broad and beautiful street which ran along there,
just outside of the enclosure. The palisades were of iron, though the
tops were tipped with gilding, and they were very high. They were more
than twice as high as a man's head. The lower ends of them were set
firmly in a wall of very substantial masonry. The gateway was very wide,
and it had sentry boxes on each side of it. A soldier, with his bayonet
fixed, was standing in front of each sentry box. When Jennie saw these
soldiers she shrank back, and seemed afraid to go in. In fact, Rollo
himself appeared somewhat disposed to hesitate. In a moment, however, a
number of persons who came along upon the sidewalk turned in at the
gates, and went into the yard. The soldiers paid no attention to them.
Rollo and Jane, seeing this, took courage, and went in, too.

On passing through the gates, the children found themselves on a very
broad terrace, which ran along on that side of the garden. The surface
of the terrace was gravelled for a walk, and it was very smooth and
beautiful. While standing on, or walking upon it, you could look on one
side, through the palisade, and see the carriages in the street, and on
the other side you could look over a low wall down into the garden,
which was several feet below. The descent into the garden was by a
flight of stone steps. The children, after staying a little time upon
the terrace, went down the steps. They came out upon a very broad
avenue, or alley, which formed the side of the garden. This alley was
very broad indeed, so broad that it was divided into three by orange
trees, which extended up and down in long rows parallel to the street,
almost as far as you could see, and forming beautiful vistas in each
direction. These orange trees, though very large, were not set in the
ground, but were planted in monstrous boxes, painted green and set on
rollers. The reason of this was, so that they could be moved away in the
winter, and put in a building where they could be kept warm.

This broad alley, the great side alley of the garden on the side toward
the city, was called the Alley of the Oranges. There is another similar
alley on the opposite side of the garden, which is toward the river, and
that is called the Alley of the Riverside.

Passing across the three portions of the Alley of the Oranges, the
children went on toward the centre of the garden. Instead, however, of
such a garden as they had expected to see, with fruits and flowers in
borders and beds, and serpentine walks winding among them, as Jennie had
imagined, the children found themselves in a sort of forest, the trees
of which were planted regularly in rows, with straight walks here and
there under them.

"What a strange garden!" said Jennie.

"Yes," said Rollo. "But we must not stop here. We must go straight on
through the trees until we come to the Grand Alley."

In fact, Rollo could see the Grand Alley, as he thought, at some
distance before him, with people walking up and down in it. There were
several people, too, in the same walk with Rollo and Jane, some going
with them toward the Grand Alley, and others coming back from it. Among
these were two children, just big enough to go alone, who were prattling
in French together very fluently as they walked along before their
father and mother. Jennie said she wondered how such little children
could learn to speak French so well. Another child, somewhat older than
these, was trundling a hoop, and at length unfortunately she fell down
and hurt herself. So, leaving her hoop upon the ground, she came toward
the maid who had care of her, crying, and sobbing, and uttering broken
exclamations, all in French, which seemed to Rollo and Jane very
surprising.

At length the children came out into the Grand Alley. They knew it
immediately when they reached it, by its being so broad and magnificent,
and by the splendid views which were presented on every hand.

"Yes," said Rollo, "this is it, I am sure. There is the obelisk; and
there, beyond it, on the top of that long hill, is the Triumphal Arch;
and there, the other way, is the palace of the Tuileries. Here is a
seat, Jennie. Let's go and sit down."

So saying, Rollo led Jennie to a stone seat which was placed on one side
of the alley, at the margin of the grove; and there they sat for some
time, greatly admiring the splendid panorama which was spread out before
them. What happened to them for the remainder of their walk will be
described in the next chapter.




CHAPTER V.

THE ELYSIAN FIELDS.


After sitting a little time upon the stone bench, Rollo and Jennie rose
and resumed their walk. The alley was extremely broad, and it was almost
filled with parties of ladies and gentlemen, and with groups of
children, who were walking to and fro, some going out toward the
Triumphal Arch, and some returning. Rollo and Jennie, as they walked
along, said very little to each other, their attention being almost
wholly absorbed by the gay and gorgeous scene which surrounded them. At
length they perceived that, at a little distance before them, the people
were separating to the right hand and to the left, and going round in a
sort of circuit; and, on coming to the place, they found that the great
basin, or pond of water, which Mr. Holiday had described to them, was
there. This pond was very large, much larger than Rollo had expected
from his father's account of it. It was octagonal in form, and was
bordered all around with stone. There were a number of children
standing in groups on the brink, at different places; some were watching
the motions of the gold fish that were swimming in the water, and others
were looking at a little ship which a boy was sailing on the pond. The
boy had a long thread tied to the bow of his ship; and when the wind had
blown it out upon the pond to the length of the string, he would pull it
back to the shore again, and then proceed to send it forth on another
voyage.

Rollo thought it strange that they should be thus employed on the
Sabbath; for he had been brought up to believe, that, although it was
very right and proper to take a quiet walk in a garden or in the fields
toward the close of the day, it was not right, but would, on the other
hand, be displeasing to God, for any one, old or young, to spend any
part of the day which God had consecrated to his own service and to the
spiritual improvement of the soul in ordinary sports and amusements.
Jennie, too, had the same feeling; and accordingly, after standing with
Rollo for a moment near the margin of the water, looking at the fishes
and the vessels, and at the group of children that were there, she began
to pull Rollo by the hand, saying,--

"Come, Rollo, I think we had better go along."

Rollo at once acceded to this proposal, and they both walked on. They
soon found themselves passing out of the garden, though the space on
each side of the broad alley in which they were walking was bordered
with so many walls, palisades, terraces, statues, and columns, and the
gateway which led out from the garden into the square was so broad, and
was so filled up, moreover, with the people who were going and coming,
that it was difficult to tell where the garden ended and the great
square began. At length, however, it began to be plain that they were
out of the garden; for the view, instead of being shut in by trees,
became very widely extended on either hand. It was terminated on one
side by ranges of magnificent buildings, and on the other by bridges
leading across the river, with various grand and imposing edifices
beyond. In the centre of the square the tall form of the obelisk towered
high into the air, gently tapering as it ascended, and terminating
suddenly at its apex in a point.

The square, though open, was not empty. Besides the obelisk, which stood
in the centre of it, on its lofty pedestal, there were two great
fountains and colossal statues of marble; and lofty columns of bronze
and gilt, for the gaslights; and raised sidewalks, smooth as a floor,
formed of a sort of artificial stone, which was continuous over the
whole surface, which was covered by it, without fissure or seam. There
were roadways, also, crossing the place in various directions, with
carriages and horsemen upon them continually coming and going. The great
fountains were very curiously contrived. The constructions were thirty
or forty feet high. They consisted of three great basins, one above the
other. The smallest was at the top, and was, of course, high in the air.
A column of water was spouting out from the middle of it, and, after
rising a little way into the air, the water fell back into the basin,
and, filling it full, it ran over the edge of it into the basin below.

This was the middle basin, and, besides the water which fell into it
from the basin above, it received also a great supply from streams that
came from the great basin below, like the jets from the hose of a fire
engine when a house is on fire. There was a row of bronze figures,
shaped like men, in the water of the lowest basin of all, each holding a
fish in his arms; and the jets of water which were thrown up to the
middle basin from the lower one came out of the mouths of these fishes.
The fishes were very large, and they were shaped precisely like real
fishes, although they were made of bronze.

The children looked at the fountains as they walked along, and at length
came to the foot of the obelisk. They stopped a minute or two there, and
looked up to the top of it. It was as tall as a steeple. Rollo was
wondering whether it would be possible in any way to get to the top of
it; and he told Jennie that he did not think that there was any way, for
he did not see any place where any body could stand if they should
succeed in getting there. While they both stood thus gazing upward, they
suddenly heard a well-known voice behind them, saying,--

"Well, children, what do you think of the Obelisk of Luxor?"

They turned round and beheld their uncle George. They were, of course,
very much astonished to see him. He was walking with another young
gentleman, a friend of his from America, whom he had accidentally met
with in Paris. When the children had recovered from the surprise of thus
unexpectedly meeting him, he repeated his question.

"What do you think of the obelisk?"

"I don't believe it is so high," replied Rollo, "as the column in the
Place Vendome."

"No," replied Mr. George, "it is not."

"Nor so large," added Rollo.

"No," said Mr. George.

"And I don't believe that there is any way to get to the top of it,"
added Rollo.

"No," said Mr. George, "there is not. The column in the Place Vendome is
hollow, and has a staircase inside; but this obelisk is solid from top
to bottom, and is formed of one single stone. That is the great wonder
of it."

[Illustration: THE OBELISK.]

"Look up," said Mr. George, "to the top of it. It is as high as a
steeple. See how large it is, too, at the base. Think how enormously
heavy such an immense stone must be. What a work it must have been to
lift it up and stand it on its end! Besides, it does not rest upon the
ground, but upon another monstrous stone, the pedestal of which is
nearly thirty feet high; so that, in setting it up in its place, the
engineers had not only to lift it up on end, but they had to raise the
whole mass, bodily, twenty or thirty feet into the air. I suppose it was
one of the greatest lifts that ever was made.

"There is another thing that is very curious about the obelisk,"
continued Mr. George, "and that is its history. It was not made
originally for this place. It was made in Egypt, thousands and thousands
of years ago, nobody knows how long. There are several others of the
same kind still standing. Some years ago, this one and another were
given to the French by the government of Egypt, and the French king sent
a large company of men to take this one down and bring it to Paris. They
built an immense vessel on purpose for transporting it. This vessel they
sent to Egypt. It went up the Nile as near to the place where the
obelisk stood as it could go. The place was called Luxor. The obelisk
stood back at some distance from the river; and there were several Arab
huts near it, which it was necessary to pull down. There were also
several other houses in the way by the course which the obelisk must
take in going to the river. The French engineers bought all these
houses, and pulled them down. Then they made a road leading from the
place where the obelisk stood to the river. Then they cased the whole
stone in wood, to prevent its getting broken or injured on the way. Then
they lowered it down by means of immense machines which they constructed
for the purpose, and so proceeded to draw it to the river. But with all
their machines, it was a prodigiously difficult work to get it along. It
took eight hundred men to move it, and so slowly did it go that these
eight hundred men worked three months in getting it to the landing.
There they made a great platform, and so rolled it on board the float.
There was a steamer at hand to take it in tow, and it was brought to
France. It then took five or six months to bring it across the country
from the sea shore to Paris.

"When, at last, they got it here, it took them nearly a year to
construct the machines for raising it. They built the pedestal for it to
stand upon, which you see is as high as a two-story house, and then
appointed a day for the raising. All the world, almost, came to see.
This whole square was full. There were more than a hundred thousand
persons here. The king came, and his family, and all his generals and
great officers. It was the greatest raising that ever was seen."

"Why, there must have been just as great a raising," said Rollo, "when
they first put it up in Egypt."

"No," said Mr. George; "because there it stood nearly upon the ground,
but here it is on the top of a lofty pedestal. Look there! Those are
pictures of the machines which they raised it by."

So saying, Mr. George pointed to beautifully gilded diagrams which were
sculptured upon one side of the pedestal. There were beams, and ropes,
and pulleys without number, with the obelisk among them; but Rollo could
not understand the operation of the machinery very well. The obelisk
itself was covered on all sides with ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics,
deeply cut into the stone; but the children could not understand the
hieroglyphics any better than they could the machinery.

After looking some time longer at the obelisk and the various objects of
interest that were around it, the whole party walked on together. Mr.
George said that he and his friend were going up the avenue of the
Elysian Fields, and that, if Rollo and Jennie would walk along behind
them, they would not get lost. Jennie was very glad of this; for the
crowd of people that were coming and going was getting to be very great,
and she was a little afraid. Rollo, on the other hand, was rather sorry.
The Triumphal Arch at the farther end of the avenue was in full view,
and thus he felt sure of his way; and he was ambitious of the honor of
being the sole guide in the excursion which he and Jane were taking. He,
however, could not well decline his uncle's invitation; so, when the two
gentlemen moved on, Rollo and Jennie followed them.

The Grand Avenue was a very broad and beautiful roadway, gently
ascending toward the barrier, and now perfectly thronged with carriages
and horsemen. There were also two side avenues, one on each side of the
central one. These were for foot passengers. There were rows of trees
between. Beyond the side avenues there extended on either hand a wood,
formed of large and tall trees, planted in rows, and standing close
enough together to shade the whole ground. They were, however, far
enough apart to allow of open and unobstructed motion among them. Under
these trees, and in open spaces which were left here and there among
them, there were booths, and stalls, and tables, and tents, and all
sorts of contrivances for entertainment and pleasure, with crowds of
people gathered around them in groups, or moving slowly from one to the
other. There were men, some dressed like gentlemen, and others wearing
blue, cartmen's frocks; and women, some with bonnets and some with caps;
and children of all ages and sizes; and soldiers without number, with
blue coats, and dark-red trousers, and funny caps, without any brim,
except the visor. In the midst of all these multitudes Mr. George and
the gentleman who was with him slowly led the way up the side avenue,
Rollo and Jennie following them, quite bewildered with the extraordinary
spectacles which were continually presenting themselves to view on every
hand. The attention of the children was drawn from one object or
incident to another, with so much suddenness, and so rapidly, that they
had no time to understand one thing before it passed away and something
else came forward into view and diverted their thoughts; and before they
had recovered from the surprise which this second thing awakened, they
had come to a third, more strange and wonderful, perhaps, than either of
the preceding.

A boy, very young, and very fantastically dressed, came riding along
through the crowd, mounted on the smallest and prettiest black pony
that Rollo had ever seen, and distributing as he passed along some sort
of small printed papers to all who came near enough to get them. Rollo
tried to get one of the papers to see what it was, but he did not
succeed.

"How I wish I had such a pony as that!" said Rollo.

"So do I," said Jennie. "But what are the people doing in that ring?"

Rollo saw a close ring of people all crowding around something on the
ground. There was a man inside the ring, calling out something very loud
and very incessantly. Rollo put his head between two of the spectators
to see. There was a man seated in the centre, on the ground, with a
cloth spread out before him, on which was a monstrous heap of stockings,
of all kinds and colors, which he was selling as fast as possible to the
men and women that had gathered around him. He sold them very cheap, and
the people bought them very fast. He put the money, as fast as he
received it, in his cap, which lay on the ground before him, and served
him for a cash box.

"Come, Rollo," said Jane, pulling Rollo by the hand, "we must go along.
Uncle George is almost out of sight."

Rollo turned back into the avenue again, and began to walk along. In a
moment more he saw a large boy standing behind a curious-looking stove
in an open space near, and baking griddle cakes. There was a very nice
table by his side, covered with a white cloth, and a plate, on which the
boy turned out the griddle cakes as fast as they were baked. There were
several children about him, buying the cakes and eating them.

"Ah, Jennie," said Rollo, "look at these cakes! How I should like some
of them! If it were not that it is Sunday, I would go and buy some."

"O Rollo!" exclaimed Jennie, "look here! See what's coming!"

Rollo looked, and saw that the ladies and gentlemen on the broad walk
before them were moving to one side and the other, to make room for a
most elegant little omnibus, drawn by six goats, that were harnessed
before it like horses. The omnibus was made precisely like a large
omnibus, such as are used in the streets of Paris for grown persons;
only this one was small, just large enough for the goats to draw. It was
very beautifully painted, and had elegant silken curtains. It was full
of children, who were looking out the windows with very smiling faces,
as if they were enjoying their ride very much. A very pretty little
boy, about seven years of age, was holding the reins of the goats, and
appearing to drive; but there was a large boy walking along by the side
of the goats all the time, to take care that they did not go wrong. The
omnibus belonged to his father, who kept it to let children ride in it
on their paying him a small sum for each ride.

Jennie was very much pleased with the omnibus; but what followed it
pleased her still more. This was a carriage, made in all respects like a
real carriage, and large enough to contain several children. It was
open, like a barouche, so that the children who were riding in it could
see all around them perfectly well. It had two seats inside, besides a
high seat in front for the coachman, and one behind for the footman.
There were children upon all these seats. There was one on the
coachman's box to drive. The carriage, like the omnibus, was drawn by
goats, only there were four instead of six. The coachman drove them by
means of long, silken reins.

As soon as the omnibus and the carriage had passed by, and the crowd had
closed again behind them so as to conceal them from view, Rollo and
Jennie looked about for Mr. George and the other gentleman; but they
were nowhere to be seen. Jane was quite frightened; but Rollo said he
did not care.

"Look there!" said Rollo, pointing back.

"What is it?" said Jennie.

"The obelisk," said Rollo.

Jane saw the tall, needle-like form of the obelisk towering into the air
from the middle of the great square behind them, and a part of the long
front of the Tuileries, at the end of a vista of trees, far beyond.

"As long as we have the obelisk in sight," said Rollo, "we cannot get
lost."

Just then Rollo's attention was called to a broad sheet of paper
fastened up upon a tree that he was passing by. He stopped to see what
it was. A little girl, about as old as Jennie, came up at the same time,
leading the maid who had the care of her by the hand. This child began
to read what was printed on the card. She read aloud, enunciating the
words very slowly, syllable by syllable, and in a voice so clear, and
rich, and silvery, that it was delightful to hear her. She seemed
pleased to observe that Rollo and Jane were listening to her; and when
she got through she turned to them, as if to apologize for not reading
better, and said, in French, and with a pleasant smile upon her
countenance,--

"I am learning to read; but I cannot read too much yet, you see."

By too much she meant very well, that being the way that the French
express themselves in such a case.

Rollo understood what she said, but he did not think it prudent to
attempt to reply in the same language; so he said simply, in English,--

"And yet I think my father would give five hundred dollars if I could
read French like that. He'd be _glad_ to do it."

As Rollo spoke these words the child looked earnestly in his face, the
smile gradually disappearing from her features and being replaced by a
look of perplexity and wonder. She then turned and led the maid away.

There were a great many booths and stands about, some in open spaces and
some under the trees. At one they had all sorts of cakes for sale; at
another toys of every kind, such as hoops, balls, kites, balloons,
rocking horses, and all such things; and at a third pictures, some
large, some small, some plain, and some beautifully colored. At one
place, by the side of the avenue where most of the people were walking,
there stood a man, with a tall and gayly-painted can on his back. It was
covered with common drapery below; but the top was bright, and towered
like a spire above the man's head. There was a round bar, like the leg
of a chair, which went from the bottom of the can to the ground, to
support it, and take the weight off the man's shoulders when he was
standing still. The man was standing still now, and was all the time
tinkling a little bell, to call the attention of the people to what he
had to sell. It was something to drink. There were two kinds of drink in
the can, separated from each other by a division in the interior. There
were two small pipes, one for each kind of drink, leading from the
bottom of the can round by the side of the man to the front, with
stopcocks at the end, where he could draw out the drink conveniently.
There was also a little rack to hold the glasses. There were three
glasses; for the man sometimes had three customers at a time. While
Rollo and Jane were looking at this man, a boy came up for a drink. The
man took one of the glasses from the little rack, and filled it by
turning one of the stopcocks. When the boy had taken his drink and paid
the money, the man wiped the glass with a towel which he kept for the
purpose; and then, putting it back in its place on the rack, he went on
tinkling his little bell.

In the mean time, the crowd of people seemed to increase, and it
appeared to Rollo and Jennie, when they came to observe particularly,
that they were nearly all walking one way, and that was up the avenue,
as if there were some place in that direction where they were all going.
Rollo supposed that, of course, it was a church. He had been told by his
father, when they were travelling in England, that when he was in any
strange place on Sunday, and wished to find the way to church, one good
method was to observe in the streets whenever he saw any considerable
number of people moving in the same direction, and to join and follow
them. He would, in such cases, his father said, be very sure to be
conducted to a church, and after going in he would generally find some
one who would show him a seat. Rollo and Jennie had often practised on
this plan. In fact, they took a particular interest and pleasure in
going to church in this way, as there was something a little of the
nature of adventure in it.

When, accordingly, the children observed that the great mass of the
people that filled the two side avenues, as well as the carriages that
were in the central one, were all moving steadily onward together,
paying little attention to the booths, and stalls, and other places and
means of amusement which were to be seen under the trees on either hand,
he concluded that, while some of the people of Paris were willing to
amuse themselves with sports and exhibitions on Sunday, the more
respectable portion would not stop to look at them, but went straight
forward to church; and he and Jennie resolved to follow their example.

"I should like to see all these things very much," said Rollo, "some
other day; but now we will go on, Jennie, to the church, where the rest
of the people are going."

Jennie very cordially approved of this plan, and so they walked on
together. It happened that, at the time when they came to this
determination, there was walking just before them a party, consisting
apparently of a father and mother and their two children. The father and
mother walked together first, and the two children, hand in hand,
followed. The oldest child was a girl, of about Jennie's age. The other
was a very small boy, just beginning to learn to talk. Rollo and Jennie
came immediately behind these children, and were very much interested in
hearing them talk together, especially to hear the little one prattling
in French. He called his sister Adrienne, and she called him Antoine.
Thus Rollo and Jennie knew the names of the children, but they had no
way of finding out what were the names of the father and mother.

"Now, Jennie," said Rollo, in a low tone, "I think we had better follow
this party, and keep close to them all the time, and then, when we get
to the church, perhaps they will give us a seat."

Jennie liked this proposal very much, and so she and Rollo walked along
after Adrienne and Antoine, not too near them, but so near as to keep
them always in sight. Sometimes the party turned aside from the avenue
to walk under the trees, and sometimes they stopped a few minutes to
look at some curious exhibition or spectacle which was to be seen. At
one place a man had a square marked off, and enclosed with a line to
keep the crowd back; and in the middle he had an electrical machine,
with which he gave shocks to any of the bystanders who were willing to
take them. A boy kept turning the machine all the time. At another place
was a little theatre, mounted on a high box, so that all could see, with
little images about as large as dolls dancing on the stage, or holding
dialogues with each other. The words were really spoken by a man who was
concealed in the box below; but as the little images moved about
continually, and made all sorts of gesticulations, corresponding with
what was said, it seemed to the bystanders precisely as if they were
speaking themselves. Besides this, the images would walk about, scold
each other, quarrel and fight each other, run out at little doors, and
then come in again, and do a great many other things which it was very
wonderful to see such little figures do.

There were places, too, where there were great whirling machines, under
splendid tents and canopies, with horses, and boats, and ships, and
cradles at the circumference of them, all of which were made to sail
round and round through the air, carrying the children that were mounted
on the horses or sitting in the ships and boats. There were also several
places for shooting at a mark with little spring guns, which were loaded
with peas instead of bullets. There were figures of bears, lions,
tigers, ducks, deer, and other animals at a little distance, which were
kept moving along all the time by machinery, for the children to shoot
at with the peas. If they hit any of them they drew a prize, consisting
of cake or gingerbread, or of some sort of plaything or toy, of which
great numbers were hanging up about the shooting place. All these, and a
great many other similar contrivances for amusing people, Rollo and Jane
saw, as they passed along; but they did not stop to look at them,
excepting when the gentleman and lady stopped whom they were following.
This was seldom, however; an