The Pension Beaurepas | Page 8

with courage. And indeed I could see that she was a young
woman of great decision.
"You like the shops--that's what you like," her father affirmed.
The young lady addressed herself to me, without heeding this remark.
"I suppose you feel quite at home here."
"Oh, he likes it; he has got used to the life!" exclaimed Mr. Ruck.
"I wish you'd teach Mr. Ruck," said his wife. "It seems as if he couldn't
get used to anything."
"I'm used to you, my dear," the husband retorted, giving me a
humorous look.
"He's intensely restless," continued Mrs. Ruck.
"That's what made me want to come to a pension. I thought he would
settle down more."
"I don't think I AM used to you, after all," said her husband.
In view of a possible exchange of conjugal repartee I took refuge in
conversation with Miss Ruck, who seemed perfectly able to play her
part in any colloquy. I learned from this young lady that, with her
parents, after visiting the British Islands, she had been spending a
month in Paris, and that she thought she should have died when she left
that city. "I hung out of the carriage, when we left the hotel," said Miss
Ruck, "I assure you I did. And mother did, too."
"Out of the other window, I hope," said I.
"Yes, one out of each window," she replied promptly. "Father had hard

work, I can tell you. We hadn't half finished; there were ever so many
places we wanted to go to."
"Your father insisted on coming away?"
"Yes; after we had been there about a month he said he had enough.
He's fearfully restless; he's very much out of health. Mother and I said
to him that if he was restless in Paris he needn't hope for peace
anywhere. We don't mean to leave him alone till he takes us back."
There was an air of keen resolution in Miss Ruck's pretty face, of lucid
apprehension of desirable ends, which made me, as she pronounced
these words, direct a glance of covert compassion toward her poor
recalcitrant father. He had walked away a little with his wife, and I saw
only his back and his stooping, patient-looking shoulders, whose air of
acute resignation was thrown into relief by the voluminous tranquillity
of Mrs. Ruck. "He will have to take us back in September, any way,"
the young girl pursued; "he will have to take us back to get some things
we have ordered."
"Have you ordered a great many things?" I asked jocosely.
"Well, I guess we have ordered SOME. Of course we wanted to take
advantage of being in Paris--ladies always do. We have left the
principal things till we go back. Of course that is the principal interest,
for ladies. Mother said she should feel so shabby if she just passed
through. We have promised all the people to be back in September, and
I never broke a promise yet. So Mr. Ruck has got to make his plans
accordingly."
"And what are his plans?"
"I don't know; he doesn't seem able to make any. His great idea was to
get to Geneva; but now that he has got here he doesn't seem to care. It's
the effect of ill health. He used to be so bright; but now he is quite
subdued. It's about time he should improve, any way. We went out last
night to look at the jewellers' windows--in that street behind the hotel. I
had always heard of those jewellers' windows. We saw some lovely
things, but it didn't seem to rouse father. He'll get tired of Geneva
sooner than he did of Paris."
"Ah," said I, "there are finer things here than the jewellers' windows.
We are very near some of the most beautiful scenery in Europe."
"I suppose you mean the mountains. Well, we have seen plenty of
mountains at home. We used to go to the mountains every summer. We

are familiar enough with the mountains. Aren't we, mother?" the young
lady demanded, appealing to Mrs. Ruck, who, with her husband, had
drawn near again.
"Aren't we what?" inquired the elder lady.
"Aren't we familiar with the mountains?"
"Well, I hope so," said Mrs. Ruck.
Mr. Ruck, with his hands in his pockets, gave me a sociable wink.--
"There's nothing much you can tell them!" he said.
The two ladies stood face to face a few moments, surveying each
other's garments. "Don't you want to go out?" the young girl at last
inquired of her mother.
"Well, I think we had better; we have got to go up to that place."
"To what place?" asked Mr. Ruck.
"To that jeweller's--to that big one."
"They all seemed big enough; they were too big!" And Mr. Ruck gave
me another