_June 15th._--I this day went to Paris with mamma and papa: papa had
been staying there for a few days. We had a very pleasant ride, and
reached the Hôtel du Mont Blanc, Rue de la Paix, where papa had been
before. This street is one of the best in Paris; there are footpaths at
the sides, and the boulevards run along the bottom. We walked along the
boulevards under the rows of trees; at one side there are the Chinese
baths, the outsides of which are curiously ornamented with artificial
rocks and figures holding umbrellas, etc. There seemed to be a great
many people idling about. There was a man with a canary in a kind of
moss bower; the bird was so tame as to sit still without attempting to
fly away. There was another man with a tame hedgehog, which he held
up in his hand to the people; it seemed to be playing tricks. We went
through the Passage des Panoramas, where we bought a bunch of clear
beads for five sous, a sou dearer than at Versailles. We afterwards
went to the Palais Royal, where they asked eight sous a bunch: the
shops in the Palais Royal are very dear and disagreeable. There were
some curious things at the windows.