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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 (Cafe) 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.