"If ever I am caught out of Old England again," he sobbed, climbing to his place in the diligence, "I'll give 'em leave to make a Frenchman of me, that's all." CHAPTER III. A MEETING AT GRENOBLE. They arrived at Lyons; but here Mr. Dundyke's total ignorance of the language led him into innumerable misapprehensions and mishaps, not the least of which was his going from Lyons to Grenoble, thinking all the time that he was on the shortest and most direct road to Switzerland. This was in consequence of his rubbing on with "we" and "no." They had arrived at Lyons late in the evening, and after a night's rest, Mr. Dundyke found his way to the coach-office, to take places on to Switzerland. There happened to be standing before the office door a huge diligence, with the word "Grenoble" painted on it. "I want to engage a place in a diligence; two places; direct for Switzerland," began Mr. Dundyke; "in a diligence like that," pointing to the great machine. "You spoke French, von littel, sare?" asked the clerk, who could himself speak a very little imperfect English. "We," cried Mr. Dundyke, eagerly, not choosing to betray his ignorance. Accordingly, the official proceeded to jabber on in French, and Mr. Dundyke answered at intervals of hazard "we" and "no." "Vous désirez aller à Grenoble, n'est-ce pas, monsieur?" remarked the clerk. "We," cried out Mr. Dundyke at random. "Combien de places, monsieur?" "We," repeated the gentleman again. "I do demande of the monsieur how few of place?" said the official, suspecting his French was not understood quite so well as it might be. "Two places for Switzerland," answered Mr. Dundyke. "I'm going on to Geneva, in a diligence like that." "C'est ça. The monsieur desire to go to Gren-haub; et encore jusqu'à Genève--on to Geneva." "We," rapturously responded the common-councilman. "I do comprends. Two place in the Gren-haub diligence. Vill the monsieur go by dat von?" pointing to the one at the door. "She do go in de half hour." "Not that one," retorted Mr. Dundyke, impatient at the clerk's obscure English. "I said in one like that, later." "Yes, sare, I comprends now. You would partir by anoder von like her, the next one that parts. Vill you dat I retienne two place for Gren-haub?" "We, we," responded Mr. Dundyke. "Two places. My wife's with me, Mrs. D.: I'm a common-councilman, sir, at home. Two places for Gren-haub. Corner ones, mind: in the interior." "C'est bien, monsieur. She goes à six of de hours." "She! Who?" "The diligence, I do say." "Oh," said the common-councilman to himself, "they call coaches 'she's' in this country. I wonder what they call women. Six hours you say we shall take going." "Oui, monsieur," answered the clerk, without quite understanding the question, "il faut venir à six heures." "And when does it start?" "What you ask, sare?" "_She_--the diligence--at what o'clock does it start for Gren-haub?" "I do tell de sare at de six of de hours dis evening."