r gone farther than Versailles. This journey was
at first as delightful as a glimpse into fairy-land. Our carriage
was one of those costly whims which some millionaires indulge in. It
consisted of a central saloon--a perfect chef-d'oeuvre of taste and
luxury--with two compartments at either end, furnished with comfortable
sleeping accommodation. And all this, the count seemed never weary of
repeating, was mine--mine alone. Leaning back on the velvet cushions, I
gazed at the changing landscape, as the train rushed madly on. Leaning
over me, M. de Chalusse named all the towns and villages we passed:
Brunoy, Melun, Fontainebleau, Villeneuve, Sens, Laroche. And each time
the train stopped the servants came to ask if we wished for anything.
When we reached Lyons, in the middle of the night, we found a delicious
supper awaiting us. It was served as soon as we alighted, and in due
time we were warned that the train was ready to start, and then we
resumed our journey. You can imagine, perhaps, how marvellous all this
seemed to a poor little apprentice, whose only ambition a week before
was to earn five francs a day. What a change indeed! At last the count
made me retire to one of the compartments, where I soon fell asleep,
abandoning my efforts to distinguish what was dreamlike in my situation
from reality. However, when I woke up I became terribly anxious. I
asked myself what was awaiting me at the end of this long journey. M.
de Chalusse's manner continued kind, and even affectionate; but he had
regained his accustomed reserve and self-control, and I realized that
it would be useless on my part to question him. At last, after a thirty
hours' journey by rail, we again entered the count's berline, drawn
by post-horses, and eventually M. de Chalusse said to me: 'Here is
Cannes--we are at our journey's end.'

"In this town, which is one of the most charming that overlook the blue
waters of the Mediterranean, the count owned a palace embowered among
lovely orange-trees, only a few steps from the sea, and in full view of
the myrtle and laurel groves which deck the isles of Sainte Marguerite.
He told me that he proposed spending a few months here in seclusion, so
as to give me time to accustom myself to my new position and the luxury
that surrounded me. I was, indeed, extremely awkward, and my excessive
timidity was increased by my pride. I did not know what to say, or what
to do. I did not know how to use my hands, nor how to walk,