The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-06-14
THE JOYS AND WEAR|NE0o
ORA SHOPPING TOUR
OF THE BON MARCHE

There were three of us rash enough 10
undertake it. To see Paris Tor the trst
time in seven days. Mrs. Whitehall
offered herself as chaperon. She had
every quality necessary to that difficult
and super1uous functionary. She Is tall
and very fair. She wears upon her Shout
ders a fetching green velvet cape and the
dignity of twenty-five summers.
Miss GREY is a tailor made little person
with a demure countenance and smile
worth almost as much as her letter OF
credit.
I recommended myself chiefly to the
others because speak a not too impos-
sibIe French. l once offered timid sug-
gestions that there might be disadvantages
in attempting to crowd every possible eX-
perience into seven days.
"a week of Paris in the month of May, !"
said Mrs. Whitehall, with that manner OF
finishing an argument contained in posi-
tive assertion, sis worth six weeks in the
month of October"
Mrs. Whitehat's experience has been
bounded hitherto by Castle Crags on the
north and Monterey on the south.
1--WE have so many interests" l still
dared to suggest. 81 want to see the salons
and some of the studios, ana you do not
speak French; how do you think you will
manager"
Each one of u.s." said Mrs. Whitehall,
will be independents; we will each see
what interests US most-besides, English
takes one everywhere"
AZ want to see the Louvre" murmured
Miss Grey "and Napoleon's tomb and the
churches.
81 want to see the Louvre, too" added
Mrs. Whitehall, land the Bon Marche."
The temptation was too great for us; we
were all swayed in the same direction. l
had the pictures most at heart. Miss
Grey advanced the improvement of her
mind for which purpose she had been sent
abroad, and Mrs. Whitehall declared with
engaging frankness that she knew exactly
what summer gowns and bonnets would be
most becoming to her.
The question of money threw slight
shade over the general enthusiasm.
Miss Grey had a little, 1 had less and
Mrs. Whitehall had least of all. We, there
fore, made solemn compact to spend not
more than double the amount we decided
we could each afford, and we retired to
pack our one trunk and three handbags.
We left Victoria at 10 IN the morning, via
Newhaven and Dieppe.
On the steamer we could still think, eat
and dream in English, although the
Tamise was manned entirely by French
sailors. 1t was very cold, and the ship
rolled violently, so that now we saw a
great expanse of heaving light blue water,
now only the luminous sky with windy
drifting clouds. Periodically all the old
ladies were spilled out of their chairs or
deluged in sudden showers of spray. We
all fixed our agonized eyes on the dis
tant horizon when a deckhand hurried by
with a little brown basin.
Mrs. Whitehall went through a panto-
mime of shivcring which finally induced
an intelligent deckhand to bring US more
rugs.
You see how easy it is to get along in
English" she remarked, as he wound a
rope around the back of her chair to keep
it steady.
Madame is quite right" said the deck
hand. 1--WE all speak the English, some
bad, some worse"
There was a more violent roll than
usual and The busy deckhand was forced
to leave US.
We attempted to have lunch in the
subterranean dining-room; we ordered
cold chicken, one portion for 2 shillings,
and cup OF coffee. with bread and tallow.
costing 2 shillings more. The chicken
consisted of one pale gray leg and wish
bone. The countenances around US were
all of the same color as the chickenaleg
and everybody appeared to be attempting
to swallow their own Wishbones. We did
not enjoy this meal. The approach of
Dieppe seemed almost a whirlpool of
breakers and foam and we all occupied
ourselves with thoughts of home and
heaven and wished we were either in one
place or the other; the intermediate stages
seemed fraught with too much danger and
discomfort.
Once in the train with the chalk-marks
on our Ieather-bags carefully conspicu-
ous-on our sleeves and skirts pripci-
pally-our spirits rose wonderfully. We
were interested in the cold, exposed little
town, the clusters of houses on the hills
crowded together as if for warmth, the
people in the streets, the men with hard,
red, weather beaten faces; the women
scarcely less tanned and marks ed under
their tight white Norman caps. We
caught picturesque glimpses of narrow
streets, with tall, crooked houses and little
windows under enormous gables, like
little eyes under heavy lids. And the
signs on all the houses were ndustriously
spelled out and their
meanings guessed at
by nv ambitious COM