CYCLAMEN PERFUME
It didn't seem possible they had been at the Chateau for a week when
the day came to go home. "It was lovely at St. Germain," said Elise, as
they were once again settled in Paris, "but I'm glad to be back in the
city, aren't you, Patty?"
"Yes, I am, but I did have a lovely time at the Chateau. I think I like
new experiences, and the memory of them is like a lot of pictures that
I can look back to, and enjoy whenever I choose. I think my mind is
getting to be just like a postcard album, it's so filled with views of
foreign places."
"Mine is more like a kaleidoscope; it's all in a jumble, and I can't
seem to straighten it out."
But after a day or two the girls settled down into a fairly steady
routine of home life. They were both interested in their various
lessons, and though there was plenty of work, there was also plenty of
play.
They did not become acquainted with many French people, but the members
of the American Colony, as it was called, were socially inclined, and
they soon made many friends.
Then there was much shopping to be done, and Mrs. Farrington seemed
quite as interested in selecting pretty things for Patty as she did for
her own daughter.
The girls had especially pretty winter costumes of dark cloth, and each
had a handsome and valuable set of furs. In these, with their Paris
hats, they looked so picturesque that Mrs. Farrington proposed they
should have their photographs taken to send to friends at home.
The taking of the photographs developed into quite a lengthy
performance; for Mrs. Farrington said, that while they were about it,
they might as well have several styles.
So it resulted in their taking a trunk full of their prettiest dresses
and hats, and spending a whole morning in the photograph gallery.
"It's really more satisfactory," observed Patty, "to do these things by
the wholesale. Now I don't think I shall have to have photographs taken
again before I'm seventy, at least."
"You ought to have them at fifty," replied Elise; "you'll be such a
charming middle-aged lady, Patty. A little prim, perhaps, but rather
nice, after all."
"Thanks for the flattering prospect. I prophesy that when you're fifty,
you'll be a great artist, and you'll look exactly like Rosa Bonheur,
and you'll wear short grey hair and a linen duster. So you'd better
have plenty of photographs taken now, for I don't believe the linen
duster will be very becoming."
The photographs turned out to be extremely successful, both as
likenesses and as pictures. The girls sent many copies to their friends
in America, and Nan wrote back that she thought the girls ought to
hurry home, or they would become incorrigible Parisiennes.
Both Elise and Patty thoroughly enjoyed the hours they spent in the
great picture galleries. Although Elise had herself a talent for
painting, Patty had quite as great a love for pictures, and was
acquiring a true appreciation of their value. Sometimes Elise's teacher
would go with them, and sometimes Mr. or Mrs. Farrington. But the girls
liked best to ramble alone together through the Louvre or the
Luxembourg, and although the watchful Lisette walked grimly behind
them, they followed their own sweet will, and often sat for a long time
before their favourite pictures or statues.
"'The time has come, the Walrus said,'" said Patty one day, "when I
really must hunt up those things for Marian. She made a list of about
fifty things for me to take home to her, and though they're mostly
trifles, I expect some of them will not be very easy to find. Suppose
we start out with that Cyclamen perfumery she wanted. It's a special
make, by a special firm, but I suppose we can find it."
So that afternoon the girls started on their Cyclamen hunt. Lisette was
to have accompanied them, but she was suffering from a headache, and,
rather than disappoint the girls, Mrs. Farrington said that just for
this once they might go shopping alone in the motor-car with the
chauffeur.
In great glee the girls started off, and went first to several
perfumers in search of Marian's order.
But Cyclamen extract, made by Boissier Freres, was not to be found,
although many other French Brothers signed their illustrious names to
Cyclamen extracts, and although the Boissier Freres themselves seemed
to manufacture an essence from every known blossom except Cyclamen.
"It's no use," said Patty, "to take any other kind, for Marian simply
won't have it, and she'll say that she should think I might have found
it for her. Let's go to the Magasins du Louvre,--they're sure in that
big place to have every kind there is."
Leaving the motor-car at one of the entrances to the great building,
the girls went in. After following devious directions and tortuous
ways, they found the perfumery counter, and as they had now sufficient
command of the French language to make their wants accurately known,
they inquired for the precious Cyclamen. The affable salesman was at
first quite sure he could supply it, but an exhaustive search failed to
bring forth the desired kind.
Desolate at his inability to please the young ladies, he informed them
that nowhere could they find the object of their search, unless it
might be at the establishment of the Boissier Freres themselves, which
was across the Seine.
"Why, yes," cried Patty; "that's just what Marian said. She said I
would have to go across the Seine for it, and I didn't know what she
meant. Let's go, Elise; when I start out to do a thing I do like to
succeed."
"So do I. We'll take the whole afternoon for it, if necessary, but get
that stuff we will."
The obliging salesman wrote down the address for them, and, taking the
paper with polite thanks, the girls went away.
But when they reached the street their motorcar was not to be seen. In
vain they looked and waited, but could see nothing of the car or the
chauffeur. They returned to the shop and stood just inside the door,
where they watched and waited a long time.
"Something must have happened," Patty said at last, "and Jules has
taken the car away to get it fixed. But he ought to have let us know
that he was going. What shall we do, Elise?"
"I don't know what to do, Patty. I hate to waste this beautiful, bright
afternoon, when we might be doing our shopping and having a good time.
And I'm worried about Jules. The car seemed all right when we left it."
"Yes; nothing ever happens to that big car. I think Jules has gone away
on purpose. Perhaps he'll never come back."
"Oh, Patty, I don't know what to do, I'm sure. Let's telephone home."
"We can try it; but I know the telephone will be out of order. It
always is. I never knew a Paris telephone that wasn't."
Sure enough, when they tried to telephone, after much delay and many
unsuccessful attempts, they were informed that there was some
difficulty with the wires and that connection with the Farrington house
was impossible.
The girls returned to their post at the glass-doored entrance and stood
looking out with a discouraged air. Still no car appeared that they
could recognise as their own.
At last Patty said: "There's no use, Elise, in standing here any
longer. Jules has absconded, or been kidnapped, or something. Now, I'll
tell you what we'll do. Let's take a cab over to this perfumery place
and back again, and then if Jules isn't here waiting for us we'll go
right home in the same cab. I know your mother doesn't let us go in a
cab alone, but this is an emergency, and we have to get home somehow;
and while we're about it we may as well go over to the perfumery place.
It isn't very far."
"How do you know it isn't far?"
"Because I know a lot about Paris now, and I know the names of the
streets, and I know just about where it is, and of course the cabman
will know. We can talk French to him and we can act very dignified, and
anyway we'll be back here in fifteen or twenty minutes, so come on."
Elise was a little doubtful about the matter, but she yielded to
Patty's argument and they went out in the street. Patty stopped a
passing cab, and giving the driver the address, the girls got in.
As they rolled smoothly along Patty's spirits rose. "You see, we did
just the right thing," she said; "and we'll be back there now before
Jules is."
On they went, across the Seine and into a strange district, unlike any
they had ever seen before.
But it was not long before they came to the address written on the
paper. The girls went into the shop and found to their dismay that the
perfumery company was there no longer, but had moved some time since to
another address.
With great dignity, and fairly good French, Patty inquired the present
address of the firm, and, receiving it, returned to the cab.
"I'm determined," she said to Elise, "to go on with this thing, now
that I've begun it. I'm going to find that Cyclamen, just because I've
made up my mind to do so."
The cabman seemed to know the address indicated, and started his horse
off at a jog trot. On they went, farther and farther, and getting into
a more and more disagreeable district. The streets grew narrower, the
houses shabbier, and the people along the streets were noisy and
boisterous.
Patty did not like to admit it, but she began to wish she had not come,
and Elise was plainly frightened, for the people along the street
stared at the pretty American girls driving about alone in a public
conveyance.
At last Patty said in a low voice: "It's horrid, Elise, and I'm truly
sorry I insisted on coming. Shall we ask the man to go back?"
"Yes," said Elise; "that is, if you think best. But I hate to go any
farther in this horrid quarter."
So Patty explained to the driver that they had concluded not to go to
the perfumer's that day, and directed him to take them back to the
Magasins du Louvre.
But the cabman objected to this proposition, and said they were now not
far from the place they were in search of, and he would go on till they
reached it.
Patty expostulated, but the cabman was firm in his decision. He was not
impertinent, but he seemed to think that the young ladies were too
easily discouraged, and assured them they would soon reach their
destination. So they went on, and Patty and Elise grew more and more
alarmed as their situation became more unpleasant. It was certainly no
place for them to be, unattended, and the fact that they could not
persuade the cabman to go back dismayed them both.
But Patty's pluck stood by her. Grasping Elise's hand firmly, she
whispered: "Don't you collapse, Elise! If you cry I'll never forgive
you! Brace up now and help me through. It will be all right if we don't
act afraid."
"How can I help acting afraid?" said poor Elise, her teeth chattering,
"when I'm s-scared to death!"
"Don't be scared to death! I tell you there's nothing to be afraid of!
Brace up, I say!" Patty gave Elise's arm such a pinch as to make her
jump, and just then the cab stopped at the establishment of Boissier
Freres.
It proved to be the right place this time, and the girls went in.
Behind the counter stood a dapper young man, who waited on them
obsequiously. But when he heard Patty's request he said they did not
have that essence in their regular stock and only made it when ordered.
"Then," said Patty, at the end of her patience, "I'll order some. Will
you make it for me, please?"
"For that," said the young man, "I must refer you to another
department. You'll have to go to see M. Poirier, who takes such orders."
"And where shall I find him?" asked Patty.
The obliging young man began to write down an address. "It is some
distance away," he said, "and not a very accessible place to get to."
Patty looked at Elise and laughed. "I give it up," she said; "I thought
I could do Marian's errand, but it's proving too much for me!"
She thanked the young man for the address and put it away in her purse,
with but slight intention of ever using it. She bought a bottle of
another sort of perfumery, and, saying good afternoon, left the shop.
But when she and Elise regained the sidewalk there was no cab in sight.
They looked in every direction, but could see nothing of it.
"He can't have gone away," said Patty, "for I haven't paid him."
"But he has gone away," said Elise; "and oh, Patty, I just remember! I
left my purse on the seat!"
"Was there much in it?"
"Yes, a good deal. I haven't done any shopping yet, you know."
"Well, that explains it. He's gone off with your purse, for he knew
that very likely we didn't have his number, and of course we can never
find him again. Elise, don't you dare to cry! We're in an awful scrape
now, but we'll get out of it somehow if you'll only be plucky about it!
Don't you fail me, and I'll get out of it somehow!"
Patty's admonitions were none too soon, for Elise was on the very verge
of bursting into tears. But when Patty appealed to her for aid she
tried hard to overcome her fears and be a help instead of a hindrance.
Patty considered the situation. "I hate to go back into that shop and
ask that young man to call me a cab," she said, "for he was so fawning
and officious that I didn't like his manner a bit. But there doesn't
seem to be anything else to do, for there's no policeman in sight, and
of course no telephone station, and of course it wouldn't work if there
was one, and there's no other place about here that looks as if I dare
go in, and so we must go back and ask that horrid man. Now brace up,
Elise; put on your most haughty air and look as dignified as a duchess."
[Illustration with caption: "'I just remember! I left my purse on the
seat!'"]