Rollo in Holland | Page 6

you wish to see. But then when it comes to
the details of the arrangements to be made,--the orders to servants and
commissioners, the determination of the times for setting out, and the
bargains to be made with coachmen and innkeepers,--it is best to leave

all those things to me; for it always makes confusion to have two
persons give directions at the same time."
To say this would be right in both cases,--there must always be one to
command. A great many families are kept in continual confusion by
there being two or more ladies who consider themselves more or less at
the head of it--as, for instance, a wife and a sister, or two sisters and a
mother. Napoleon used to say that one bad general was better than two
good ones; so important is it in war to have unity of command. It is not
much less important in social life.
Mrs. Parkman did not understand this principle. Mr. George had seen
an example of her mode of management a day or two before, in taking
a walk with her and her husband in London. They were going to see the
tunnel under the Thames, which was three or four miles down the river
from Morley's Hotel, where they were all lodging.
"Which way would you like to go?" asked Mr. Parkman.
"Is there more than one way?" asked his wife.
"Yes," said Mr. Parkman, "we can take a Hansom cab, and drive down
through the streets, or we can walk down to the river side, and there
take a boat. The boats are a great deal the cheapest, and the most
amusing; but the cab will be the most easy and comfortable, and the
most genteel. We shall have to walk nearly half a mile before we get to
the landing of the boats."
"Is there much difference in the price?" asked Mrs. Parkman.
"Not enough to be of any consequence," replied her husband. "It will
make a difference of about one and a half crown; for by the boats it
would be only two or three pence, while by the cab it will be as many
shillings. But that is of no consequence. We will go whichever way you
think you would enjoy the most."
"You may decide for me," said Mrs. Parkman. "I'll leave it entirely to
you. It makes no difference to me."

"Then, on the whole, I think we will try the boat," said Mr. Parkman;
"it will be so much more amusing, and we shall see so much more of
London life. Besides, we shall often read and hear about the steamers
on the Thames when we return to America, and it will be well for us to
have made one voyage in them. And, Mr. George, will you go with
us?"
"Yes," said Mr. George.
So they all left the hotel together, and commenced their walk towards
the bridge where the nearest landing stage for the Thames boats lay.
They had not gone but a very short distance before Mrs. Parkman
began to hang rather heavily upon her husband's arm, and asked him
whether it was much farther that they would have to walk.
"O, yes," said Mr. Parkman. "I told you that we should have to walk
about half a mile."
"Then we shall get all tired out," said his wife, "and we want our
strength for walking through the tunnel. It does not seem to be worth
while to take all this trouble just to save half a crown."
Mr. Parkman, though he had only been married a little more than a
month, felt something like a sense of indignation rising in his breast,
that his wife should attribute to him such a motive for choosing the
river, after what he had said on the subject. But he suppressed the
feeling, and only replied quietly,--
"O, let us take a cab then, by all means. I hope you don't suppose that I
was going to take you by the boat to save any money."
"I thought you said that you would save half a crown," rejoined his
wife.
"Yes," said Mr. Parkman, "I did, it is true."
Mr. Parkman was too proud to defend himself from such an imputation,

supported by such reasoning as this; so he only said, "We will go by a
cab. We will take a cab at the next stand."
Mr. George instantly perceived that by this change in the plan, he was
made one too many for the party, since only two can ride conveniently
in a Hansom cab.[2] So he said at once, that he would adhere to the
original plan, and go by water.
[Footnote 2: A Hansom cab is made like an old-fashioned chaise, only
that it is set very low, so that