manizing stare at a beautiful female
face; and he made the slow and toilsome journey to the little wooden
booth three times--and brought us each a pen'orth on each return
journey; and the third time, Katidjah (such was her sweet Oriental
name) leaned forward over her counter and kissed him on both cheeks,
and whispered in his ear (in English--and with the accent of
Stratford-atte-Bowe):

"You little _duck_! _your_ name is _Brown_, _I_ know!"

And he came away, his face pale with conflicting emotions, and told
us!

How excited we were! Bonneville (who spoke English quite well) went
for a pen'orth on his own account, and said: "My name's Brown too,
Miss Katidjah!" But he didn't get a kiss.

(She soon after married a Mr. ----, of ----, the well-known ----
Of ----shire, in ----land. She may be alive now.)

Then to the Palais Royal, to dine at the "Diner Europeen" with M.
Berquin pere, a famous engineer; and finally to stalls at the
"Francais" to see the two first acts of _Le Cid_; and this was
rather an anticlimax--for we had too much "Cid" at the Institution
F. Brossard already!

And then, at last, to the omnibus station in the Rue de Rivoli,
whence the "Accelerees" (en correspondence avec les Constantines)
started for Passy every ten minutes; and thus, up the gas-lighted
Champs-Elysees, and by the Arc de Triomphe, to the Rond-point de
l'Avenue de St.-Cloud; tired out, but happy--happy--happy _comme on
ne l'est plus_!

Before the school broke up for the holidays there were very severe
examinations--but no "distribution de prix"; we were above that kind
of thing at Brossard's, just as we were above wearing a uniform or
taking in day boarders.

Barty didn't come off very well in this competition; but he came off
anyhow much better than I, who had failed to be "diligent and
attentive"--too much _Monte Cristo_, I'm afraid.

At all events Barty got five marks for English History, because he
remembered a good deal about Richard Coeur de Lion, and John, and
Friar Tuck, and Robin Hood, and especially one Cedric the Saxon, a
historical personage of whom the examiner (a decorated gentleman
from the College de France) had never even heard!

* * * * *

And then (to the tune of "Au clair de la lune"):

"Vivent les vacances--
_Denique tandem_;
Et les penitences--
_Habebunt finem_!
Les pions intraitables,
_Vultu Barbaro_,
S'en iront aux diables,