CHAPTER XIX
CYCLAMEN PERFUME
It didn't seem possible they had been at the Chateau for a week whenthe day came to go home. "It was lovely at St. Germain," said Elise, asthey were once again settled in Paris, "but I'm glad to be back in thecity, aren't you, Patty?"
"Yes, I am, but I did have a lovely time at the Chateau. I think I likenew experiences, and the memory of them is like a lot of pictures thatI can look back to, and enjoy whenever I choose. I think my mind isgetting to be just like a postcard album, it's so filled with views offoreign places."
"Mine is more like a kaleidoscope; it's all in a jumble, and I can'tseem to straighten it out."
But after a day or two the girls settled down into a fairly steadyroutine of home life. They were both interested in their variouslessons, and though there was plenty of work, there was also plenty ofplay.
They did not become acquainted with many French people, but the membersof the American Colony, as it was called, were socially inclined, andthey soon made many friends.
Then there was much shopping to be done, and Mrs. Farrington seemedquite as interested in selecting pretty things for Patty as she did forher own daughter.
The girls had especially pretty winter costumes of dark cloth, and eachhad a handsome and valuable set of furs. In these, with their Parishats, they looked so picturesque that Mrs. Farrington proposed theyshould have their photographs taken to send to friends at home.
The taking of the photographs developed into quite a lengthyperformance; 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 dressesand hats, and spending a whole morning in the photograph gallery.
"It's really more satisfactory," observed Patty, "to do these things bythe wholesale. Now I don't think I shall have to have photographs takenagain before I'm seventy, at least."
"You ought to have them at fifty," replied Elise; "you'll be such acharming middle-aged lady, Patty. A little prim, perhaps, but rathernice, 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 betterhave plenty of photographs taken now, for I don't believe the linenduster will be very becoming."
The photographs turned out to be extremely successful, both aslikenesses and as pictures. The girls sent many copies to their friendsin America, and Nan wrote back that she thought the girls ought tohurry home, or they would become incorrigible Parisiennes.
Both Elise and Patty thoroughly enjoyed the hours they spent in thegreat picture galleries. Although Elise had herself a talent forpainting, Patty had quite as great a love for pictures, and wasacquiring a true appreciation of their value. Sometimes Elise's teacherwould go with them, and sometimes Mr. or Mrs. Farrington. But the girlsliked best to ramble alone together through the Louvre or theLuxembourg, and although the watchful Lisette walked grimly behindthem, they followed their own sweet will, and often sat for a long timebefore their favourite pictures or statues.
"'The time has come, the Walrus said,'" said Patty one day, "when Ireally must hunt up those things for Marian. She made a list of aboutfifty things for me to take home to her, and though they're mostlytrifles, I expect some of them will not be very easy to find. Supposewe start out with that Cyclamen perfumery she wanted. It's a specialmake, by a special firm, but I suppose we can find it."
So that afternoon the girls started on their Cyclamen hunt. Lisette wasto have accompanied them, but she was suffering from a headache, and,rather than disappoint the girls, Mrs. Farrington said that just forthis once they might go shopping alone in the motor-car with thechauffeur.
In great glee the girls started off, and went first to severalperfumers 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 toCyclamen extracts, and although the Boissier Freres themselves seemedto manufacture an essence from every known blossom except Cyclamen.
"It's no use," said Patty, "to take any other kind, for Marian simplywon't have it, and she'll say that she should think I might have foundit for her. Let's go to the Magasins du Louvre,--they're sure in thatbig 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 tortuousways, they found the perfumery counter, and as they had now sufficientcommand of the French language to make their wants accurately known,they inquired for the precious Cyclamen. The affable salesman was atfirst quite sure he could supply it, but an exhaustive search failed tobring forth the desired kind.
Desolate at his inability to please the young ladies, he informed themthat nowhere could they find the object of their search, unless itmight be at the establishment of the Boissier Freres themselves, whichwas across the Seine.
"Why, yes," cried Patty; "that's just what Marian said. She said Iwould have to go across the Seine for it, and I didn't know what shemeant. Let's go, Elise; when I start out to do a thing I do like tosucceed."
"So do I. We'll take the whole afternoon for it, if necessary, but getthat stuff we will."
The obliging salesman wrote down the address for them, and, taking thepaper with polite thanks, the girls went away.
But when they reached the street their motorcar was not to be seen. Invain they looked and waited, but could see nothing of the car or thechauffeur. 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 hastaken the car away to get it fixed. But he ought to have let us knowthat he was going. What shall we do, Elise?"
"I don't know what to do, Patty. I hate to waste this beautiful, brightafternoon, 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 awayon 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. Italways is. I never knew a Paris telephone that wasn't."
Sure enough, when they tried to telephone, after much delay and manyunsuccessful attempts, they were informed that there was somedifficulty with the wires and that connection with the Farrington housewas impossible.
The girls returned to their post at the glass-doored entrance and stoodlooking out with a discouraged air. Still no car appeared that theycould recognise as their own.
At last Patty said: "There's no use, Elise, in standing here anylonger. Jules has absconded, or been kidnapped, or something. Now, I'lltell you what we'll do. Let's take a cab over to this perfumery placeand back again, and then if Jules isn't here waiting for us we'll goright home in the same cab. I know your mother doesn't let us go in acab 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 thestreets, and I know just about where it is, and of course the cabmanwill know. We can talk French to him and we can act very dignified, andanyway we'll be back here in fifteen or twenty minutes, so come on."
Elise was a little doubtful about the matter, but she yielded toPatty's argument and they went out in the street. Patty stopped apassing cab, and giving the driver the address, the girls got in.
As they rolled smoothly along Patty's spirits rose. "You see, we didjust the right thing," she said; "and we'll be back there now beforeJules is."
On they went, across the Seine and into a strange district, unlike anythey had ever seen before.
But it was not long bef
ore they came to the address written on thepaper. The girls went into the shop and found to their dismay that theperfumery company was there no longer, but had moved some time since toanother address.
With great dignity, and fairly good French, Patty inquired the presentaddress of the firm, and, receiving it, returned to the cab.
"I'm determined," she said to Elise, "to go on with this thing, nowthat I've begun it. I'm going to find that Cyclamen, just because I'vemade up my mind to do so."
The cabman seemed to know the address indicated, and started his horseoff at a jog trot. On they went, farther and farther, and getting intoa more and more disagreeable district. The streets grew narrower, thehouses shabbier, and the people along the streets were noisy andboisterous.
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 streetstared at the pretty American girls driving about alone in a publicconveyance.
At last Patty said in a low voice: "It's horrid, Elise, and I'm trulysorry 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 anyfarther in this horrid quarter."
So Patty explained to the driver that they had concluded not to go tothe perfumer's that day, and directed him to take them back to theMagasins du Louvre.
But the cabman objected to this proposition, and said they were now notfar from the place they were in search of, and he would go on till theyreached it.
Patty expostulated, but the cabman was firm in his decision. He was notimpertinent, but he seemed to think that the young ladies were tooeasily discouraged, and assured them they would soon reach theirdestination. So they went on, and Patty and Elise grew more and morealarmed as their situation became more unpleasant. It was certainly noplace for them to be, unattended, and the fact that they could notpersuade the cabman to go back dismayed them both.
But Patty's pluck stood by her. Grasping Elise's hand firmly, shewhispered: "Don't you collapse, Elise! If you cry I'll never forgiveyou! Brace up now and help me through. It will be all right if we don'tact 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 herjump, and just then the cab stopped at the establishment of BoissierFreres.
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 themobsequiously. But when he heard Patty's request he said they did nothave 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. Willyou make it for me, please?"
"For that," said the young man, "I must refer you to anotherdepartment. 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 somedistance 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 thoughtI 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 ofanother 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! Ileft 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 knewthat very likely we didn't have his number, and of course we can neverfind him again. Elise, don't you dare to cry! We're in an awful scrapenow, 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 vergeof bursting into tears. But when Patty appealed to her for aid shetried 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 andask that young man to call me a cab," she said, "for he was so fawningand officious that I didn't like his manner a bit. But there doesn'tseem to be anything else to do, for there's no policeman in sight, andof course no telephone station, and of course it wouldn't work if therewas one, and there's no other place about here that looks as if I darego 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 theseat!'"]