“‘It is of no use,’ he answered obstinately, a cause de l’Exposition;’ and he opposed a shrug of his shoulders to every other effort at persuasion that we made.

“Just then a chambermaid passed.  ‘Do come here,’ I called.  ’Can’t you find us a room?  I will pay you;’ and I put my hand significantly in my pocket.

“‘Very sorry, ladies, but it is impossible,’

“This was a contingency we had not provided for:  we looked at each other blankly, and, though loath to do so, we both came to the conclusion that they were telling the truth.

“‘What shall we do?’ asked Annie, speaking to me in English.

“’I suppose we shall have to take a carriage and go down town, after all,’

“‘They may be full there too,’ she said in a rueful tone.

“Just then the porter with our satchels spoke:  ’There is another hotel near, ladies, and if you will come I will show you to it,’

“I consulted Annie with a look, and she assented.  Any prospect was better than a midnight drive of several miles, with no certainty as to our lot at the end of it.  So we turned from the inhospitable door and followed our guide.

“The latter walked quickly for perhaps a square, stopped before a neat-looking house and rang.  Our courage rose as the door opened and revealed a clean-looking court surrounded by orange trees in boxes, with small coffee-tables under them for the convenience of the guests.

“‘Rooms for two ladies!’ demanded our attendant with the voice of a herald.

“The trim but sleepy servant looked at us a moment, as if not comprehending the situation, then slowly pronounced our sentence in two words, ‘No rooms!’ and as if to emphasize them threw up the palms of his hands, shook his head and added ‘Full!’ after which he closed the door with a hasty click and returned to his nap.

“Our night-errant was visibly disappointed with this reception—­not more so than we were—­but without allowing us time to speak he said in his most reassuring voice, ’Never mind, ladies:  there are plenty of hotels about here, and we shall soon find lodgings for you.’  Having undertaken the task, he seemed to think it his duty to comfort and provide for us.

“Alas! this was not soon accomplished.  Two other hotels were successively tried in vain, and still our indefatigable guide went on.  It appeared as if we had walked a considerable distance, but the streets cut each other at odd angles, and we had been turning so often that I confess I had but little idea where we were, or how far we had come, when we entered a quarter where the ways became narrower, passed into a dingy alley, thence plunged through a still darker court, from that to another alley, and the next moment our porter was ringing at the door of a tall, sombre house.  I truly hoped that we should not find rooms here, and was turning to Annie to advise a cab and an attempt in a more civilized-looking locality, when the bell was answered and the old question repeated.