"Eric," said Johnny, when Dr. Ward had gone, "I must show you the American railway here." "Why?" said Eric; "I'm sure that is the last thing I came to Paris to see." "Now," said Johnny, importantly, "I suppose you think you know just what it is; but you're quite as mistaken as if you were a donkey without ears." "John!" said his father, reprovingly. "That was only a 'simile,' papa," answered Johnny, roguishly, as he led Eric out again. Sure enough, when they reached the railway, Eric found that his idea of it had been far from correct. "It is nothing at all but an omnibus running upon rails," he said: "I don't see why they call it American." "It isn't anything like as nice as our street cars--is it?" answered Johnny, with a flourish of national pride quite pardonable in so young an American. Just then the conductor, supposing the two boys wished to be passengers, saluted them politely, exclaiming, "_Complete, complete!_" and the omnibus rolled off along the rails. "What did he mean?" asked Eric, quite puzzled. "He said the coach was full," Johnny replied. "They are never allowed to carry more passengers than there are seats for." "That is still less and less like an American railway," said Eric, laughing, and thinking of the crowded cars and overstrained horses he had so often seen and pitied, wearily perambulating the streets of New York. "Let's have some cake and coffee," Johnny proposed, as they were strolling towards home. "I think French coffee is hard to beat." "When I was your age," remarked Eric, "mamma almost decided to live in Paris; but I am very glad she did not, for I think New York a great deal nicer." Johnny led the way to a cafe--that is, a coffee-house,--and here they regaled themselves with rolls and delicious coffee. Eric was shocked to see Johnny appropriate a couple of cakes and two lumps of sugar, left over from their repast, and convey them to his pocket. "Why, Johnny!" he exclaimed, in a tone of mortification. "They all do so," said John, laughing. "A Frenchman thinks he has a right to everything that he pays for. Watch the others." Eric looked around and saw several Frenchmen, who had finished their lunch, following John's example. "Well," said he, "if I should do that at Millard's, how they _would_ all stare!" Johnny was quite pleased with his own importance in being able to show Eric around the city, and proposed several places that they "ought to see." But the afternoon was waning, and a damp, chilly breeze sprang up, which Eric knew, from experience, was not at all good for the mumps. So he very prudently hurried Johnny home, holding forth Froll's loneliness as an additional inducement. CHAPTER X. STRASBOURG. "Uncle John," said Eric, the next morning, "do you think of going through Strasbourg, when we leave for Munich?" "No," said his uncle; "I have business to attend to on another route." "But, papa," expostulated Johnny, "we want to see the great clock in the Strasbourg Cathedral."