our morals, she said she supposed that was so, and somehow one never did expect people who wore curled wigs and knee-breeches to behave quite prettily. The rooms were dotted with groups of people who had come in fiacres or by tramway, which made it difficult for the guide to impart his information only to those who had paid for it. He generally surmounted this by saying, "Ladies and genelmen, I want you to stick closer than brothers. When you hear me a-talkin' don' you go turnin' over your Baedekers and lookin' out of the window. If I didn't know a great big sight more about Versailles than Baedeker does I wouldn't be here makin' a clown of myself; an' I'll show you the view out of the window all in good time. You see that lady an' two genelmen over there? _They're_ listenin' all right enough because they don't belong to this party an' they want to get a little information cheap price. All right--I let 'em have it!" At which the lady and two gentlemen usually melted away looking annoyed. We were fascinated with the coaches of state and much impressed with the cost of them. As momma said, it took so very _little_ imagination to conjure up a Royal Philip inside bowing to the populace. "What a pity we couldn't have had them over!" said poppa indiscreetly. "Where you mean?" demanded the guide, "over to America? I know--for that ole Chicago show! You are the five hundred American who has said that to me this summer! Number five hundred! Nossir, we don't lend those carriage. We don't even drive them ourself." "No more kings and queens nowadays," remarked Mr. Hinkson, "this century's got no use for them." I think the guide was a Monarchist. "Nossir," he said, "you don't see no more kings an' queens of France, but you do see a good many people travellin' that's nothin' like so good for trade." At which Mr. Pabbley's eye sought that of the guide, and expressed its appreciation in a marked and joyous wink. In the Palace, especially in the picture rooms, there were generally benches along the walls. When momma observed this she arranged that she should go on ahead and sit down and get the impression, while poppa and I caught up from time to time with the guide and the information. The guide was quite agreeable about it, when it was explained to him. He was either a very thoughtless or a very insincere person, however. Stopping before the portrait of an officer in uniform, he drew us all together. The Canadians, headed by Mr. Pabbley, were well to the fore, and it was to them in particular that he appeared to address himself when he said, "Take a good look at this picture, ladies and genelmen. There is a man wat lives in your 'istory an', if I may say, in your 'art--as he does in ours. There's a man, ladies and genelmen, that helped you on to liberty. Take a good look at 'im, you'll be glad to remember it afterward." And it was General Lafayette! CHAPTER VII.