Rollo in Paris | Page 4

they at last arrived at New Haven, they found that the harbor consisted
merely of a straight, artificial canal, cut in from the sea, where probably
some small stream had originally issued. The sides of this harbor were
lined with piers, and on one of the piers was a great hotel, forming a
part, as it were, of the railway station. There were a few houses and
other buildings near, but there was no town to be seen. The railway was
on one side of the hotel, and the water was on the other. When the train
stopped, one of the railway servants opened the door for Mr. George
and Rollo to get out, and Mr. George went directly into the hotel to
make arrangements for rooms and for dinner, while Rollo, eager to see
the ships and the water, went through the house to the pier on the other
side. He found that there was a pretty broad space on the pier, between
the hotel and the water, with a shed upon it for merchandise, and extra
tracks for freight trains. The water was quite low in the harbor, and the
few vessels that were lying at the pier walls were mostly grounded in
the mud. There was one steamboat lying opposite the hotel, but it was
down so low that, at first, Rollo could only see the top of the

smoke-pipe. Rollo went to the brink of the pier and looked down. The
steamer appeared very small. It was painted black. There were very few
people on board. Rollo had a great mind to go on board himself, as
there was a plank leading down from the pier to the top of the paddle
box. But it looked rather steep, and so Rollo concluded to postpone
going on board till Mr. George should come out with him after dinner.
Rollo looked about upon the pier a few minutes, and then went into the
hotel. He passed through a spacious hall, and then through a passage
way, from which he could look into a large room, the sides of which
were formed of glass, so that the people who were in the room could
see out all around them. The front of the room looked out upon the pier,
the back side upon the passage way. A third side was toward the
vestibule, and the fourth toward the coffee room. There were shelves
around this room, within, and tables, and desks, and people going to
and fro there. In fact, it seemed to be the office of the hotel.
Rollo advanced to one of the openings that was toward the passage way,
and asked which was the way to the coffee room. The girl pointed to
the door which led to it, and Rollo went in.
He found a large and beautiful room, with several tables set for dinner
in different parts of it, and sideboards covered with silver, and glasses
against the walls. On one side there were several large and beautiful
windows, which looked out upon the pier, and opposite to each of these
windows was a small dinner table, large enough, however, for two
persons. Mr. George had taken one of these tables, and when Rollo
came in he was sitting near it, reading a newspaper.
"Come, Rollo," said he, "I have ordered dinner, and we shall just have
time to arrange our accounts while they are getting it ready."
So saying, Mr. George took out his pocket book, and also a small
pocket inkstand, and a pen, and put them all upon the table.
"Your father's plan," he continued, "is this: He is to pay all expenses of
transportation, at the same rate that he pays for himself; so that,
whatever you save by travelling in cheap ways, is your own."

"Yes," said Rollo, smiling, "I mean to walk sometimes, and save it all."
"He is also to pay the expense of your lodgings."
"Yes," said Rollo.
"Generally, of course, you will have lodgings with him, but sometimes
you will be away from him; as, for instance, to-night. In such cases, I
pay for your lodgings, on your father's account."
"Yes," said Rollo, "I understand that."
"He also pays the expense of all casualties."
"So he said," replied Rollo; "but I don't understand what he means by
that, very well."
"Why, you may meet with accidents that will cost money to repair, or
get into difficulties which will require money to get out of. For instance,
you may lose your ticket, and so have to pay twice over; or you may
get lost yourself, in Paris, and so have to hire a man with a carriage to
bring you home. For all such things, the money is not to come from
your purse. Your father will pay."