invitation, and went eagerly back into the inner apartments. He returned
in a very few minutes with his cap in his hand, evidently all ready to
go.

"Now," said Rollo, as they went out of the antechamber together, "the
first thing is to go and ask the master of the hotel what we are to do."

There was a very pleasant little room on the lower floor, on one side of
the archway which formed the entrance into the court of the hotel from
the street, that served the purpose of parlor, sitting room, counting
room, and office. Thus it was used both by the master of the hotel
himself and by his family. There was a desk at one side, where the
master usually sat, with his books and papers before him. At the other
side, near a window, his wife was often seated at her sewing; and there
were frequently two or three little children playing about the floor
with little wagons, or tops, or other toys. Rollo went to this room,
occupying himself as he descended the stairs in trying to make up a
French sentence that would ask his question in the shortest and simplest
manner.

He went in, and, going to the desk, held out his passports to the man
who was sitting there, and said, in French,--

"Passports. To Switzerland. Where to go to get them stamped?"

"Ah," said the master of the hotel, taking the passports in his hand.
"Yes, yes, yes. You must get them stamped. You must go to the Swiss
legation and to the prefecture of police."

Here Rollo pointed to a piece of paper that was lying on the desk and
made signs of writing.

"Ah, yes, yes, yes," said the man. "I will write you the address."

So the man took a piece of paper and wrote upon the top of it the words
"prefecture of police," saying, as he wrote it, that every coachman knew
where that was. Then, underneath, he wrote the name of the street and
number where the Swiss legation was; and, having done this, he gave the
paper to Rollo.

Rollo took the memorandum, and, thanking the man for his information,
led Carlos out to the carriage.

"Come, Carlos," said he; "now we are ready. I know where to go; but I
don't know at all what we are to do when we get there. But then we shall
find some other people there, I suppose, getting their passports
stamped; and we can do as they do."

Rollo had learned to place great reliance on the rule which his uncle
George had given for his guidance in travelling; namely, to do as he saw
other people do. It is, in fact, a very excellent rule.