“‘I thought the French admired gayety,’ I answered in the same tone.

“‘Be quiet:  it isn’t proper.’

“The rest of the way was accomplished in silence.  We soon arrived at the station and bought our tickets.  Of course we had half a dozen bundles:  in gathering them up a most gentlemanly person accosted us and asked, ‘Avez vous perdu quelque chose, mademoiselle?’

“Annie replied in the negative with great dignity, and so cut off any chance of adventure in that quarter.

“On came the train.  In France there is fortunately a provision made for women traveling without an escort.  In your country they have, I believe, smoking-cars especially for the gentlemen:  in that blessed land there is a compartment for ‘ladies alone,’ or Dames Seules, as it is called.  A good American once read this inscription with much commiseration, D——­ souls, and returning told his friends that the ‘wicked’ French allowed His Satanic Majesty the right of running a special car on their roads for his greater accommodation.

“As we were hastening to this most desired refuge I noticed two very student-looking young men walking near us, and caught a bit of their conversation.

“‘They will.’

“’They won’t:  a bottle of wine on it we go up in the same car with them.’

“‘I told you so!’

“As we found our car and entered the students passed on, not daring to ignore the magic words on the door; so Adventure No. 2 was nipped in the bud.

“Nan and I were the only lady-passengers, and we sank back into the soft cushions with the pleasant sense that no further effort would be needed during the journey.  We had been told that the train would arrive in Paris about midnight, but the lateness of the hour caused us no uneasiness, as we had been there before and remembered the city pretty well; and, besides, we thoroughly believed in our ability to take care of ourselves.

“In an interval of wakefulness we discussed our plans, and concluded to spend the night at some hotel near the station, the next morning looking up our friends (several of whom we knew to be in town) and consulting them about our future proceedings, feeling that a midnight visit from us would scarcely be welcome to any one.  Annie recalled a fine-looking hotel just opposite the terminus, and, having made our selection in its favor, we dozed off again very comfortably.

“I think we had been on the way some four hours when the welcome lights began to appear—­first in the sky above the city, as if the earth in this favored spot threw out rays like the sun; next through the darkness over the country below; and then we plunged tunnel-wise into the earth under the busy streets and fortifications, to emerge at the end of our route.

“We gathered up our bundles in haste, thanking the stars that we had accomplished our ride so safely, and were walking off to the hotel when we suddenly thought of the trunks.  Another consultation was held, and we decided to leave them in the baggage-room until morning.