"I have got some letters to write after breakfast," said Mr. George, "and I should like to go directly to my room and write them. So I wish you would find out when the diligence goes next to Berne, and take places in it for you and me." "Well," said Rollo, "I will; only how shall I do it? Where shall I go?" "I don't know any thing about it," replied Mr. George. "The guide book says that there is a diligence from Basle to Berne; and I suppose there is an office for it somewhere about town. Do you think you can find it?" "I'll try," said Rollo. "But how do we take seats in it? Is there a book for us to write our names in, with the place where they are to call for us?" "I do not know any thing about it," said Mr. George. "All I know is, that I want to go to Berne with you some way or other in the diligence, and I wish to have you plan and arrange it all." "Well," said Rollo, "I will, if I can find out. Only tell me what places I shall take." "I don't care particularly about that," replied Mr. George; "only let it be where we can see best. It must be either in the coupe or in the banquette. We can't see at all, scarcely, in the other compartments." "Well," said Rollo, "I should like to be where I can see. But would you rather it would be in the coupe, or in the banquette?" "That is just as you please," replied Mr. George. "There are some advantages in being in the banquette." "What are they?" asked Rollo. "There are four advantages," replied Mr. George. "First, it is up very high, and is all open, so that you have a most excellent chance to see." "Yes," said Rollo. "I shall like that." "The second advantage," said Mr. George, "is, that it costs less. The places in the banquette are quite cheap." "Yes," said Rollo. "I like that. So we can save some of our money." "The third advantage," continued Mr. George, "is, that we have a great deal better opportunity to hear talking there. There are usually five persons in that part of the coach--the coachman, the conductor, and three passengers. That is, there will be one passenger besides you and me. He will probably be talking with the conductor part of the time, and the conductor will be talking with the coachman, and we shall be amused by hearing what they say." "But there are _six_ persons in the interior," said Rollo, "to talk." "True," replied Mr. George; "but, then, they are usually not so sociable there as they are up on the banquette. Besides, the noise of the wheels on the hard gravel roads is so loud there that we cannot hear very well. Then, moreover, when we stop to change horses, the hostlers and postilions come out, and our coachman and conductor often have a great deal of amusing conversation with them, which we can hear from the banquette; but we could not hear it, or see the process of harnessing and unharnessing, from the interior, nor even very well from the coupe." "Well," said Rollo. "I like that. But that makes only three advantages. You said there were four."