one
below me calling to me,

"'Rollo!'

"I believe I was asleep at that time, and dreaming about something,
though I don't remember what it was. I started up and reached out as far
as I could over the boot, and looked down. I found it was my mother
calling to me.

"'Rollo,' says she, 'how do you get along?'

"'Very nicely indeed, mother,' says I; 'and how do you get along?'

"'Very well,' says she.

"Just then I happened to think of my oranges; so I asked mother if she
was not thirsty, and she said she was a little thirsty, but she did not
see how she could get any drink until the morning, for the houses were
all shut up, and the people were in bed and asleep. So I told her that I
had an orange for her and for father. She said she was very glad indeed.

"I could not get down very well to give the oranges to her, so I put
them in my little knapsack, and let them down by a string. I had the
string in my pocket.

"Mother took the oranges out of the knapsack, and then I pulled it up
again. I told her that I had plenty more for myself.

"Father cut a hole in one of the oranges that I sent down to mother, and
then she squeezed the juice of it out into her mouth. She said
afterwards that I could not conceive how much it refreshed her. I don't
think _she_ could conceive how glad I was that I had bought it for her.

"A little while after sunrise we came to a village where we were going
to change horses, and the conductor said that we should stop long enough
to go into the inn if we pleased, and get some coffee. So father and
mother got out of the coupe, and went in. I climbed down from my place,
and went with them. Mother said she went in more to see what sort of a
place the inn was than for the sake of the coffee.

"It was a very funny place. The floor was of stone. There was one table,
with cups on it for coffee, and plates, and bread and butter. The loaves
of bread were shaped like a man's arm--about as big round, and a good
deal longer. The coffee was very good indeed, on account of there being
plenty of hot milk to put into it.

"After we had had our breakfast we went on, and the rest of our ride was
through a most magnificent country. There was a long, winding valley,
with beautiful hills and mountains on each side, and a deep chasm in the
middle, with the River Rhone roaring and tumbling over the stones down
at the bottom of it. The road went wheeling on down long slopes, and
around the hills and promontori