Rollo in Paris Part 4

"Very well," said Mr. George, in his turn. "Much obliged to you." He then went on with his writing.

The first thing that Rollo himself was conscious of, after falling asleep in his berth, was a feeling of some one pulling him gently by the shoulder. He opened his eyes, and saw before him a face that he did not exactly know, and yet it was not entirely strange. The man had his hand upon Rollo's shoulder, and was endeavoring to wake him.

"Your ticket, if you please, sir."

Rollo stared wildly a minute, first at the man, and then about the cabin. It was night. Lamps were burning, and the cabin was full of people. Some were in their berths, some in groups on the seats, and one or two were just preparing to lie down. The engine was in motion, and the s.h.i.+p was evidently going fast through the water. In fact, the steamer was rocking and rolling as she went on, indicating that she was already far out at sea.

"Your ticket, if you please, sir," repeated the clerk.

Rollo glanced around to his uncle's berth, and there he saw his uncle lying quietly in his place, his head being on a cus.h.i.+on close to the one on which Rollo's head had been lying.

"Uncle George," said Rollo, "he wants my ticket."

"Well," said Mr. George, without moving, "give him your ticket."

Rollo then recollected that he had his ticket in his wallet. So, after fumbling for a time in his pocket, he brought out his wallet, and produced the ticket, and handed it to the clerk.

"Thank you, sir," said the clerk, taking the ticket. At the same time he put two other tickets in Rollo's wallet, in the place of the one which he had taken out. As he did this, he pointed to one of the small ones, saying,--

"That's for the landing."

Rollo shut up his wallet, and put it in his pocket.

"A s.h.i.+lling, if you please," said the clerk.

Rollo had no s.h.i.+lling, and was still not much more than half awake. So he turned to his uncle again.

"Uncle George," said he, "he wants a s.h.i.+lling."

"Well, pay him a s.h.i.+lling, then," said Mr. George.

Rollo now felt for his purse, and taking out one of his five-franc pieces, he gave it to the clerk, who, in return, gave him back a quant.i.ty of change. Rollo attempted to count the change, but he soon perceived that his ideas of francs and s.h.i.+llings were all in confusion.

So he turned the change all together into his purse, put the purse back into his pocket, lay his head down upon his cus.h.i.+on again, shut his eyes, and in one minute was once more fast asleep.

Some hours afterward he woke again, of his own accord. He opened his eyes and looked about him, and perceiving that it was morning, he climbed down from his berth, and then went up upon the deck. The coast of France was all before him, in full view, and the steamer was rapidly drawing near to it. He went to the bow of the vessel to get a nearer view. He saw directly before him a place where there were piers, and batteries, and other constructions indicating a town, while on either hand there extended long ranges of cliffs, with smooth, green slopes of land above, and broad, sandy sh.o.r.es below. In half an hour more the steamer arrived at the entrance of the harbor, which was formed of two long piers, built at a little distance from each other, and projecting quite into the sea. The steamer glided rapidly along between these high walls of stone, until, at length, it entered a broad basin, which was bordered by a continuation of these walls, and hemmed in on every side beyond the walls of the pier with ranges of the most quaint, and queer, and picturesque-looking buildings that Rollo ever saw.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ENTERING DIEPPE.]

These buildings were not close to the pier, but were back far enough to leave room for a street between them and the water. Such a street is called a _quay_.[B] Quays are built in almost all the cities of Europe where there are rivers or basins of water for s.h.i.+pping; and they are very pleasant streets to walk in, having usually large and elegant buildings on one side, and vessels and steamers on the other.

[B] p.r.o.nounced _kee_.

By the time that the steamer had entered the port, almost all the pa.s.sengers had come up from below, and Mr. George among the rest. Mr.

George came, expecting to find that, as they were now about to land, the baggage would be brought out, and that the several pa.s.sengers would be called upon to select their own. But there was no movement of this kind.

The baggage had all been put down into the hold the night before, and now the hatches were still closed, and there seemed to be no signs of any preparation to open them.

In the mean time, the steamer gradually drew near to the pier. The engine was stopped. Ropes were thrown out. People in queer dresses, some of them soldiers, who were standing on the pier, caught the ropes and fastened them. The steamer was thus brought to her place and secured there.

There was now, however, no rush to get on sh.o.r.e,--such as Rollo had always been accustomed to witness on board an American steamer on her arrival,--but every thing was quiet and still. By and by a plank was laid. Then the pa.s.sengers were called upon to get out their tickets.

Then they began to walk over the plank, each one giving up his landing ticket as he pa.s.sed.

When Mr. George and Rollo reached the pier, they found, on looking around them, that they were not yet at liberty. On the opposite side of the quay was a building, with a sign over it, in French, meaning custom-house office for packet boats; and there were two long ropes stretched, one from the stem and the other from the stern of the steamer, to the opposite sides of the door of this building, so as to enclose a s.p.a.ce on the quay, in front of the building, in such a manner as to hem the pa.s.sengers in, and make it necessary for them to pa.s.s through the custom house. The ropes were guarded by soldiers, dressed in what seemed to Rollo the queerest possible uniforms. They all talked French--even those who had talked English when they came on board the packet boat on the other side.

"I can't understand a word they say," said Rollo.

"Nor I," said Mr. George; "but we can watch and see what they will do."

It did not require long watching, for no sooner had Mr. George said these words than he observed that the pa.s.sengers were all going toward the door of the custom-house, and that, as they went, they were taking their pa.s.sports out. n.o.body can enter France without a pa.s.sport. A pa.s.sport is a paper given to the traveller by his own government. This paper tells the traveller's name, describes his person, and requests that the French government will allow him to pa.s.s through their country.

Frenchmen themselves must have a pa.s.sport too, though this is of a little different kind. All must have a pa.s.sport of some kind or other, and all this machinery of ropes and soldiers was to make it sure that every one of the pa.s.sengers had the proper doc.u.ment.

The pa.s.sengers accordingly took out their pa.s.sports as they went into the custom-house door, and there pa.s.sed, in single file, before an officer seated at a desk, who took them in turn, opened them, copied the names in his book, and then gave them back to the owners. Mr. George and Rollo followed on in the line. When their pa.s.sports had been given back to them, they went on with the rest until they came out from the custom-house at another door, which brought them upon the quay outside of the ropes.

"What's to be done next?" said Rollo.

"I am sure I don't know," said Mr. George, "I suppose we shall see."

There was an omnibus standing near, marked, "For the Iron Road,"--that being the French name for railroad,--but n.o.body seemed to be getting into it. In fact, the pa.s.sengers, as fast as they came out from the custom-house, seemed all very quiet, as if waiting for something. A great many of them seemed to be French people, and they fell into little groups, and began to talk very volubly together, some finding friends who had come down to the quay to meet them, and others making friends, apparently, for the occasion, of the soldiers and idlers that were standing around.

"Could not you ask some of them," said Rollo, "what we are to do next?"

"I don't believe they would understand my French," said Mr. George. "I am sure I don't understand theirs." In a moment, however, he turned to a young man who was standing near, who seemed to be a waiter or servant man belonging to the place.

"Do you speak English?"

"Yes, sir," said the man, in a very foreign accent, but yet in a very pleasant tone.

"What are we waiting for?" asked Mr. George.

"You will wait, sir, for the baggages, and then for the visit of the baggages."

"How long?" said Mr. George.

"Twenty minutes," said the man. He also gave Mr. George to understand that he and Rollo might go and have some breakfast, if they chose. But Mr. George thought it was not safe for them to go away from the spot. So they waited where they were.

In a few minutes the hatches were opened on board the vessel, and the sailors began to hoist out the trunks. As fast as they were brought up to the decks men took them on sh.o.r.e, and carried them into the custom-house by the same door where the pa.s.sengers had entered. When all the baggage was carried in, the ropes were taken down, and the pa.s.sengers went to the custom-house door again, to attend to the examination of the baggage. A soldier stood at the door to prevent too many going in at a time. Mr. George and Rollo followed the rest, and at length it came their turn to have their trunks examined. This was done very quick--the officers appearing to think, from the appearance of the travellers, that they would not be likely to have any smuggled goods in their possession. The officer, accordingly, just looked into the trunks, and then shut down the lids, and marked them pa.s.sed. A porter then took them out at the side door. There, on Mr. George's telling them in French that they were going to Paris by the railroad, the trunks were put upon a cart, while Mr. George and Rollo got into the omnibus, and then they were very soon driving along the quay, in the direction, as they supposed, of the Paris railway station.

CHAPTER III.

JOURNEY TO PARIS.

The omnibus which Mr. George and Rollo had entered contained several other pa.s.sengers, some of whom had carpet bags and valises with them, as if they, too, were going to Paris. Besides the driver, there was a conductor, whose place was upon the step of the omnibus, behind. The conductor opened and shut the doors for the pa.s.sengers when they wished to get in or out, and took the fare.

"How much is the fare?" said Rollo to Mr. George.