ench, do you suppose?" asked Rollo.

"I presume she came from New Orleans," replied Mr. George, "where nearly
all the people speak French."

Thus our two travellers beguiled their journey, by talking sometimes
about the novel and curious objects which presented themselves to view,
in the landscape, as the train rolled rapidly along on its way, and
sometimes about what they expected to see and to do on their arrival in
Paris. At length, the indications that they were approaching the great
capital began to multiply on every hand. The villages were more
frequent. Villas, parks, and palaces came into view; and here and there
an ancient castle reposed on the slope of a distant hill, or frowned
from its summit. At length, Rollo, turning his head to the window
opposite to the one where he had been looking out, exclaimed suddenly,--

"Look there! Uncle George, what's that?"

Mr. George said that that was Napoleon's famous Triumphal Arch, that
forms the grand entrance to Paris, on the way to the royal palaces. It
was a large, square building, splendidly adorned with sculptures and
architectural ornaments, and towering high into the air out of the midst
of a perfect sea of houses, streets, avenues, trees, gardens, and
palaces, which covered the whole country around. It stood upon a
commanding elevation, which made its magnitude and its height seem all
the more impressive. Through the centre of it was a magnificent archway,
wide enough for four carriages to pass abreast.

"It is the Triumphal Arch," said Mr. George, "by which all grand
processions enter Paris on great public days of rejoicing. We will go
out and see it some day. It is called the Triumphal Arch of Neuilly,
because it is on the road that leads to Neuilly."[C]

[C] It is also called the Arc de l'Etoile. Etoile means _star_, and the
French give that name to a place where several roads diverge from one
point. Roads so diverging form a sort of star. The reader will find this
arch on any map of Paris, with the roads diverging from it.

By this time the Triumphal Arch had passed out of view, and presently
the train of cars began to be shut in by buildings, and the usual
indications appeared of the approach to a great station. Queer-looking
signals, of mysterious meaning,--some red, some blue, some round, some
square,--glided by, and men in strange and fantastic costumes stood on
the right hand and on the left, with little flags in their hands, and
one arm extended,