settled in some way or other, but he feared it was settled in a manner
not very satisfactory to the lady herself; for, as the porters took up
her trunk to carry it back, she looked quite displeased and out of
humor.

Rollo went back to the place where he had left his uncle George, and
then they went together out to the platform. Here Rollo found the lady
who had had difficulty about her baggage explaining the case to some
friends that she found there. She seemed to be very indignant and angry,
and was telling her story with great volubility. Rollo listened for a
moment; but she spoke so rapidly that he could not understand what she
said, as she spoke in French.

"What does she say?" he asked, speaking to Mr. George.

"She says," replied Mr. George, "that they were going to seize something
that she had in her trunk because she did not declare it."

"What does that mean?" said Rollo.

"Why, the law is," said Mr. George, "that when people have any thing in
their trunks that is dutiable, if they _declare_ it, that is,
acknowledge that they have it and show it to the officers, then they
have only to pay the duty, and they may carry the article in. But if
they do not declare it, but hide it away somewhere in their trunks, and
the officers find it there, then the thing is forfeited altogether. The
officers seize it and sell it for the benefit of the government."

"O, uncle George!" exclaimed Rollo.

"Yes," said Mr. George, "that is what they do; and it is right. If
people wish to bring any thing that is subject to duty into any country
they ought to be willing to pay the duty, and not, by refusing to pay,
make other people pay more than their share."

"If one man does not pay his duty," rejoined Rollo, "do the others have
to pay more?"

"Yes," said Mr. George, "in the end they do. At least I suppose so.
Whatever the amount of money may be that is required for the expenses of
government, if one man does not pay his share, the rest must make it up,
I suppose."

"They did not look into my trunk at all," said Rollo. "Why didn't they?
I might have had ever so many things hid away there."

"I suppose they knew from the circumstances of the case," said Mr.
George, "that you would not be likely to have any smuggled goods in your
trunk. They saw at once that you were a foreign boy, and knew that you
must be coming to Switzerland only to make a tour, and that you could
have no reason for wishing to smuggle any thing into