Rollo in Switzerland | Page 4

seat, reached his arm down and fastened
the door and then drove away.
He drove on through various crowded streets, which seemed to lead in
towards the heart of the city, until at last the carriage came to the river.
Rollo and Carlos looked out and saw the bridges, and the parapet wall
which formed the river side of the street, with the book stalls, and
picture stalls, and cake and fruit booths which had been established
along the side of it, and the monstrous bathing houses which lay
floating on the water below, all gayly painted and adorned with flags
and little parterres of flowers; and the washing houses, with their long
rows of windows, down close to the water, all filled with women, who
were washing clothes by alternately plunging them in the water of the

river and then banging them with clubs. These and a great many other
similar objects attracted their attention as they rode along.
If the reader of this book has the opportunity to look at a map of Paris,
he will see that the River Seine, in passing through the town, forms two
channels, which separate from each other so as to leave quite a large
island between them. This island is completely covered with streets and
buildings, some of which are very ancient and venerable. Here is the
great Cathedral Church of Notre Dame; also the vast hospital called
Hotel Dieu, where twelve thousand sick persons are received and taken
care of every year. Here also is the prefecture of police--an enormous
establishment, with courts, quadrangles, ranges, offices, and officers
without number. In this establishment the records are kept and the
business is transacted relating to all the departments of the police of the
city; so that it is of itself quite a little town.
The first indication which Rollo had that he had arrived at the place
was the turning in of the coach under an arch, which opened in the
middle of a very sombre and antique-looking edifice. The carriage,
after passing through the arch, came into a court, where there were
many other carriages standing. Soldiers were seen too, some coming
and going and others standing guard. The carriage passed through this
court, and then, going under another arch between two ponderous iron
gates, it came into another court, much larger than the first. There were
a great many carriages in this court, some moving in or out and others
waiting. Rollo's carriage drove up to the farthest corner of the court;
and there the coachman stopped and opened the door. Rollo got out.
Carlos followed him.
"Where do you suppose we are to go, Carlos?" said he. "Stop; I can see
by the signs over the doors. Here it is. "Passports." This must be the
place. We will go in here."
Rollo accordingly went in, Carlos timidly following him. After
crossing a sort of passage way, he opened another door, which ushered
him at once into a very large hall, the aspect of which quite bewildered
him. There were a great many desks and tables about the hall, with
clerks writing at them, and people coming and going with passports and

permits in their hands. Rollo stepped forward into the room, surveying
the scene with great curiosity and wonder, when his attention was
suddenly arrested by the voice of a soldier, who rose suddenly from his
chair, and said,--
"Your cap, young gentleman."
Rollo immediately recollected that he had his cap on, while all the
other people in the room were uncovered. He took his cap off at once,
saying to the soldier at the same time, "Pardon, sir," which is the
French mode of making an apology in such cases. The soldier then
resumed his seat, and Rollo and Carlos walked on slowly up the hall.
Nobody took any notice of them. In fact, every one seemed busy with
his own concerns, except that in one part of the room there were several
benches where a number of men and women were sitting as if they
were waiting for something.
Rollo advanced towards these seats, saying to Carlos,--
"Carlos, let us sit down here a minute or two till we can think what we
had better do. We can sit here, I know. These benches must be for any
body."
As soon as Rollo had taken his seat and began to cast his eyes about the
room, he observed that among the other desks there was one with the
words, "for foreigners," upon it, in large, gilt letters.
"Carlos," said he, pointing to it, "that must be the place for us. We are
foreigners: let us go there. We will give the passports to the man in that
little pew."
So Rollo rose, and, followed by Carlos, he went