Rollo in Paris Part 5

"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 pa.s.sing 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 pa.s.sengers paid their fares, and got out. On entering the building, they found themselves in a s.p.a.cious apartment, with a great variety of part.i.tions, 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 cla.s.s, and second cla.s.s, and third cla.s.s, 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 part.i.tions 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 pa.s.sengers 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 pa.s.sengers 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 pa.s.sengers 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 pa.s.senger 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 pa.s.senger paid it through an opening. If there was no surplus weight, then they gave the pa.s.senger 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 part.i.tion railing, as if he were there to guard the pa.s.sage; and holding up his little pasteboard ticket, he said, in French,--

"Where to go?"