of two or three of the houses there were small tricolored
flags flying; and wherever these flags were, there were soldiers on the
sidewalk below guarding the doors. But neither Rollo nor Jennie was able
to imagine what this could mean.

About three o'clock, when Rollo and Jennie had began to be tired of
looking at the column, their mother came into the room. She said that
Mr. Holiday was fatigued and was going to lie down, and that neither he
nor herself would go out again. Rollo then asked if he and Jennie might
go out and take a walk. His mother seemed to hesitate about it, but
presently said that she would go and ask Mr. Holiday if he thought it
would be safe. She accordingly went into the bed room, and very soon
returned, saying that Mr. Holiday thought it would be safe for them to
go if he gave them some directions.

"He says," added Mrs. Holiday, "that you may get ready, and then go into
his room, and he will give you the directions. Only you must not talk
much with him, for it hurts him to talk. Hear what he has to say, and
then come out immediately."

So the children made themselves ready, and then went into their father's
room. They found him sitting in a great arm chair by a window where the
sun was shining. He looked pale and tired. When the children came in,
however, he turned to them with a smile, and said,--

"Children, I am glad you are going out to take a walk. You can go very
safely, if you follow my directions.

"This is the Place Vendome. There are only two ways of going out of it.
One leads to the north, and the other to the south.

"If you take the road which goes to the north, that is, that way," said
Mr. Holiday, pointing, "you will go out by the street which is called
the Street of Peace.[D] The Street of Peace is straight, and pretty
broad; and if you follow it to the end of it, you will come to the
Boulevards."

[D] Mr. Holiday called this street, of course, by its French name; but
we give its name here in English, for the convenience of the reader, who
may, perhaps, not be able to pronounce French.

"What are the Boulevards?" asked Rollo.

"Hush!" said Jennie, gently touching Rollo at the same time with her
hand.

"Boulevards," said Mr. Holiday, "means bulwarks. A great many years ago
there was a line of bulwarks or fortifications all around Paris; but at
length, when the city grew too large for them, they levelled them down
and made a very broad and handsome street where they had