CHAPTER X
SIGHTSEEING
They rose next morning to find a perfect autumn day awaiting them. ToPatty's surprise, dainty breakfast trays were brought to their bedsides.
"It is the custom of the country," Elise explained; "nobody ever goesdownstairs to breakfast in Paris."
"It's a custom that suits me well enough--at least, what there is ofit. I'm free to confess that this rather smallish cup of chocolate andtwo not very large rolls and a tiny bit of butter do not seem to me allthat a healthy appetite can desire."
"I'm afraid you're an incorrigible American," said Elise, laughing."Now, this little spread is ample for me, but I dare say you can havemore if you want it."
"No indeed," said Patty; "when I'm in Paris, I'll do as the Romans do,even if I starve."
But Patty didn't starve, for it was not long before Mr. Farrington sentword that the girls were to come downstairs as soon as possible,equipped for a drive.
But before the drive he insisted that they should eat a good andsubstantial breakfast, as he wanted them to put in a long morningsightseeing.
Mrs. Farrington had concluded not to go with them, as she was restingafter her journey, and, moreover, the sights were not such a novelty toher as they would be to the young people.
So when they were all ready to start they found an automobile at thedoor, waiting for them.
"This is the most comfortable way to see Paris," said Mr. Farrington asthey got in. "I have taken this car for a week on trial, and if itproves satisfactory we can keep it all winter."
A chauffeur drove the car, and Mr. Farrington sat in the tonneaubetween the two girls, that he might point out to them the places ofinterest.
If Patty had thought Paris beautiful by night she thought it even moreso in the clear, bright sunshine. There is no sunshine in the worldquite so clearly bright as that of Paris, or at least it seems so.
"I want you to get the principal locations fixed in your minds," saidMr. Farrington, "so now, as you see, we are starting from the PlaceVendome, going straight down the short Rue Castiglione to the Rue deRivoli. Now, we have reached the corner, and we turn into the Rue deRivoli. This is a beautiful street, crowded with shops on one side, andon the other side at this point you see the garden of the Tuileries. Weturn to the right and go directly to the Place de la Concorde. As wereach it you may see to the right, up through the Rue Royale, theChurch of the Madeleine. That is one of the most beautiful of the Parischurches, and you shall visit it, of course, but not now. To-day I wantyou to get merely a birdseye view, a sort of general idea of locations.But here we are in the Place de la Concorde. The Obelisk, which you seein the centre, was brought from Egypt many years ago. It is very likeour own Obelisk in Central Park, and also Cleopatra's needle in London.From here we turn into one of the most beautiful avenues in the world,the Champs Elysees. This avenue extends from the Place de la Concordeto the Arc de Triomphe. Viewing it as we do now, rolling along thisperfect road in a motor car--or automobile, as we must learn to call itwhile in France--you are taking, no doubt, one of the most perfectrides in the world. The full name of the arch is Arc de Triomphe del'Etoile. This means a star, and it is called thus because it is acentre from which radiate no less than a dozen beautiful avenues. Wewill drive slowly round the arch, that you may see its general beauty,but we will not now stop to examine it closely."
"It is so different," exclaimed Patty, "to see these things in reality,or to study about them in history. I've seen pictures of this arch lotsof times, but it never seemed before as if it were a real thing. Isn'tit beautiful! I think I could spend a whole day looking at it."
Patty's love of the beautiful was intuitive and all embracing. She knewlittle of architecture or sculpture technically, but the sublimemajesty and imposing grandeur of the noble arch impressed her, as itdoes all true beauty lovers.
"The continuation of the Champs Elysees beyond the arch," went on Mr.Farrington, "changes its name and becomes the Avenue de la Grand Armee.But we will not continue along that way at present, but take the nextavenue to the left, which is the Avenue du Bois de Boulogne."
"Why, I thought that was a forest," said Patty; "is it a street?"
"It's an avenue," replied Mr. Farrington, "and it leads to the forest,or rather park, which is called the Bois de Boulogne. We can take onlya short drive into the park, but you may see a few of the beautifulchateaus, which are the homes of the wealthy or aristocratic Frenchpeople. You will not meet many equipages at this hour in the morning,but late in the afternoon there is a continuous stream of fine turnoutsof all sorts. There are many, many places of interest in the Bois, butas we have all winter in which to visit them, we will content ourselvesto-day with a brief visit."
"It begins to look," said Patty, "as if even a whole winter would beall too short to see the beauties and glories of this wonderful Paris."
"Indeed, it would be too short to see everything of interest, but I canassure you, my child, that with an automobile and some idea ofsystematic sightseeing we can do a great deal even in one winter."
Mr. Farrington pointed out various prominent buildings as they passedthem, and then, turning round, went back to the city. A swift rideabout Paris showed to the girls such interesting places as the Louvre,and the Hotel de Ville, the Place de la Bastile, the Hotel desInvalides, the Pantheon, and the Church of Notre-Dame.
At the last named Mr. Farrington proposed that they get out and make ashort visit to the cathedral.
They did so, and both Patty and Elise were much impressed by the noblebeauty of the interior.
As they passed around the church Patty noticed a little Frenchwoman,who seemed to be selling candles. The candles were of an unusualtype-long, slender and very tapering. It occurred to Patty that shewould like to take some home to Nan, as they would be most effective inan odd brass candlestick which was one of Nan's chief treasures. Thecandlestick had seven branches, and as her French seemed to desert herat the critical moment, Patty indicated her wants by holding up sevenfingers, pointing to the candles and then taking out her purse.
The Frenchwoman seemed to understand, and began counting out sevencandles. Patty looked anxiously after Mr. Farrington and Elise, who hadgone on ahead, not noticing that Patty had stopped. But she knew shecould soon catch up to them if only she could get her candles andmanage to pay for them in the confusing and unfamiliar French money. Asshe was counting out the change, greatly to her surprise, theFrenchwoman lighted her seven candles, one after the other. Pattyexclaimed in dismay, wondering if she did it to test their wicks, orwhat could be the reason. But even as she watched her the woman placedthe candles, all seven of them, in a sort of a branched candlestick onthe wall above her head.
"Non! Non!" cried Patty; "they are MINE, MINE! comprenez-vous? Mine!"
"Oui, oui, oui," exclaimed the Frenchwoman, nodding her headcomplacently, and taking Patty's money, which she put in a box on thetable before her.
"But I want them!" cried Patty. "I want to take them away with me!"
Still the woman smiled amiably, and Patty realised she was notunderstanding a word. But all Patty's French, and it was not very muchat best, seemed to fly out of her head and she could not even think howto say, "I wish to take them away with me." So seeing nothing else todo, she cut the Gordian knot of her dilemma by reaching up and takingthe candles from the sockets. She blew them out, and holding them in abundle, said pleasantly, "Papier?" having thought of a French word atlast that expressed what she wished.
The woman looked at her in amazement, as if she had done somethingwrong, and poor Patty was thoroughly perplexed.
"Why, I bought them," she exclaimed, forgetting the Frenchwoman couldnot understand her, "and I paid you for them, and now they're mine, AndI'm going to take them away. If you won't give me any paper to wrapthem in, I'll carry them as they are. Eon jour!"
But by this time Mr. Farrington and Elise had returned in search oftheir missing comrade, and Patty appealed to Mr. Farrington, explainingthat she had purcha
sed the candles.
"Why, yes, they're yours, child, and certainly you may take them awayif you like. But it is not customary; usually people buy the candles toburn at the shrine of their patron saint, or in memory of some friend,and, of course, the woman supposed that was your intention."
"Well, I'm glad to understand it," said Patty, "and I wish you'd pleaseexplain it to her, for I certainly do want to keep the candles, and Icouldn't make her understand."
So Mr. Farrington explained the state of the case in French that thewoman could understand, and all was well, and Patty walked off intriumph with her candles.
Then they went back past the Louvre, and leaving the automobile again,they went for a short walk in the garden of the Tuileries. This alsofascinated Patty, and she thought it beautiful beyond all words.
After that Mr. Farrington declared that the girls must be exhausted,and he took them to a delightful cafe, where he refreshed them withices and small cakes.
"Now," he said, "I don't suppose the Eternal Feminine in your naturewill be satisfied without doing a little shopping. The large shops--theBon Marche and the Magasin du Louvre--are very like our own departmentstores, and if you choose you may go there at some other time with Mrs.Farrington or Lisette, for I confess my ignorance of femininefurbelows. But I will take you to one or two interesting shops on theRue de Rivoli, and then if we have time to a few in the Avenue del'Opera."
Their first stop was at a picture shop, and Patty nearly went wild overthe beautiful photographs and water colours. She wanted to purchaseseveral, but Mr. Farrington advised her to wait until later, when sheshould perhaps be better able to judge what she really wanted.
"For you see," he said, "after you have been to the Louvre and othergreat galleries, and have made favourites, as you will, among thepictures there, you will then be able to collect your photographs moreintelligently."
Patty was quite ready to abide by this advice, and she and Eliseenjoyed looking over the pictures and anticipating future purchases.
But though the shops along the Rue de Rivoli were attractive, they werenot nearly so splendid as those on the Avenue de l'Opera. Indeed, Mr.Farrington almost regretted having brought the girls there, for theyquite forgot all else in their delight in looking at the beautifulwares. They seemed content just to walk along the avenue looking in atthe shop windows.
"I don't want to buy anything yet," declared Patty. "Later on I expectto get souvenirs for all of the people at home, and I have any amountof orders to execute for Marian."
"Won't it be fun to do our shopping here?" exclaimed Elise. "I neversaw such lovely things, and truly, Patty, the prices marked on them arequite cheap. Much more reasonable than in New York, I think."
"So do I. And oh, Elise, just look at the lovely things in this window!See that lovely pen-wiper, and that dear paper-cutter! Aren't theyunusual?"
"Yes," exclaimed Elise, equally rapturous; "I don't wonder, Patty, thatpeople like to shop in Paris. It is truly fascinating. But just waituntil we get mother out here with us instead of father. She won'tfidget around as if she wanted us to go home before we've fairlystarted!"
Elise looked reproachfully at her father, who was undeniably fidgeting.
"I'm glad you appreciate the fact," he said, "that I am impatient toget away from these shop windows. Never again will I introduce twoyoung girls into the Parisian shopping district. I've learned mylesson; I'll take you sightseeing, but Mrs. Farrington must take youshopping."
Patty laughed good-naturedly, and expressed her willingness to returnat once to the hotel.