Rollo in Paris

rrang

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

map and the railway guide, and see

he Strand. The Strand is a street of London, and one of the most lively and crowded of them all. As soo

go an

ught forward for the purpose, they leaned over upon the table where their father was spreading

liday, "do you come her

en," sai

. Holiday; "then I am g

ed 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

e 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 anoth

e advantages and disadvantages of each particular line, Mr.

by the way of New Have

ink, now," said Mr. Holiday. "T

will make four or five po

to that. If I can only get well, I can earn money fast enough, when I go home, to replace wha

better go by the way of Dover and Calais,

d Mr. Holiday; "so th

ould let Jennie and me go to Paris

tances, 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

said hi

ng well enough in comin

ny 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

d, but he did not reply. In fact,

our uncle George is willing to go by some dif

ie?" inqu

ng. "Let me think. Yes, Jennie may go with yo

Holiday her mother, althou

mother," asked R

the same time she wished very much to have Jennie go with her. However, she finally

o 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. Besi

til Rollo had gone to bed. Rollo, however, saw him early

hearing his story, "and what do

and I should go by the way of New

said Mr

We can go that way for twenty-four shillings. I

ideration," sa

" said Rollo, "you could buy a

self another and a secret reason why he wished to go by the New Haven route; but we are all very apt, when giv

the pages which Rollo pointed out, and fo

, "I'll go that

was sett

e 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, o

day, "and which, it strikes me, is a decided objection to your plan; and t

on why I wanted to go

!" exclaime

dressing his cousin, "we should sit up till midnight! And then to see all the people going on board by the light o

not wish to set off at midnight. I think y

ening 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 dire

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 merchandis

ch 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 t

sage way, and asked which was the way to the coffee room. The

e 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 dinne

er, and we shall just have time to arrange o

book, and also a small pocket inkstand,

nses of transportation, at the same rate that he pays for himself;

ng, "I mean to walk some

ay the expense o

said

etimes you will be away from him; as, for instance, to-night. I

ollo, "I unde

he expense of a

"but I don't understand what

. 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 h

my fault," said Rollo. "Th

ugh I think he is mistaken there. I have no doubt, myself, that nearly all the accidents

ee," sai

Mr. George,

said that you might do as you pleased about that. He would pa

out a dollar, is i

ou had better not reckon by dollars, now, at a

ly as large as a quarter of a dollar, or an English shilling, but not quite. A quarter of a dol

f those a day to pay

at a boarding house, in Paris

er wherever we please, at coffee rooms and dining rooms all over the city, wherever we happen to be, or wherever we take a fancy

reakfast," said Roll

for two francs, or even less. Tha

d t

aris," said Mr. George. "

t?" ask

use the English do. Whatever is done in London, you ge

thing, then, after

d take a seat at a little round table on the sidewa

idea of his making an allowance, in calculating how far his five francs would go, for

n 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 endl

"I shall want som

rself sick eating them, I'll venture to say, be

olutely; "and I think I had better tak

dy 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 casua

t all?" as

ll. You are not to expend a single c

centime?" a

ss than one fourth of a c

at would come to, of myself," said Rollo. "Suppose I sho

lied Mr. George. "There

d wish to spend a sou for gingerbread, a

and suppose you were to wish to sp

likely to buy poison,

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 f

Rollo, "I a

eorge, "I am ready to

k as he said this, and, opening it at the beginning, he wrote

in Account wi

., which stands for debtor; and on that of the

e money that becomes due to you; and on the debtor side, all that I pay to you. Then,

kstone. The fare that way is two pound eleven. This way, it is one pound four. I am to pay you the di

l and paper, and found that it amounted to

ning by francs and centim

misfortune; and you'll have to bear it a

francs-thirty-three seve

ancs to begin with," said he;

ill enter that weekly. There are three days in this week

entered the

ng is sixty-three francs seventy-five centimes. That is sixty-

payment, so as to put you in funds, and that must be

id Rollo; "a few f

se?" asked Mr. Geor

all leather bag which

u ten francs. When you want more, you can h

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 pie

ER AT NE

t spend any of it without f

aid any such thing. That would be a great

at I was not to spend any

do so, so long as I find you always ask me in doubtful cases. Spend for yourself freely, whenever you are sure it is

silver tureen containing soup, which he put down upon the table, between Mr. George and Rollo. So the writing mat