“I call it low--positively vulgar,” said Miss Leyton, “to behave so
familiarly with people one has never seen before--of whose antecedents
one knows nothing! I should be very much surprised if the mob behaved
in such a manner towards me. Oh!”

The exclamation was induced by the action of some young _épicier_, or
hotel _garçon_, who threw a mass of confetti into her face with such
violence as almost for the moment to blind her. “Ha! ha! ha!” roared Ralph Pullen with his healthy British lungs, as he
saw her outraged feelings depicted in her countenance. “I thought you’d get it before long!” he said, as she attempted to
brush the offending paper off her mantle. “It has not altered my opinion of the indecency of the custom!” she
replied. “Never mind!” he returned soothingly. “Here come the _charrettes_.”

They were really a charming sight. On one cart was drawn a boat,
with little children dressed as fishermen and fisherwomen--another
represented a harvest-field, with the tiny haymakers and
reapers--whilst a third was piled with wool to represent snow, on the
top of which were seated three little girls attired as Esquimaux. The
mail-carts, and perambulators belonging to the visitors to Heyst were
also well represented, and beautifully trimmed with flowers. The first
prize was embowered in lilies and white roses, whilst its tiny inmate
was seated in state as the Goddess Flora, with a wreath twined in her
golden curls. The second was taken by a gallant Neapolitan fisherman
of about four years old, who wheeled a mail cart of pink roses, in
which sat his little sisters, dressed as angels with large white wings. The third was a wheel-barrow hidden in moss and narcissi, on which
reposed a Sleeping Beauty robed in white tissue, with a coronal of
forget-me-nots. Harriet Brandt fell into ecstasies over everything she saw. When
pleased and surprised, she expressed herself more like a child than a
young woman, and became extravagant and ungovernable. She tried to kiss
each baby that took part in the procession, and thrust coins into their
chubby hands to buy bonbons and confetti with. Captain Pullen thought
her conduct most natural and unaffected; but Miss Leyton insisted that
it was all put on for effect. Olga Brimont tried to put in a good word
for her friend. “Harriet is very fond of children,” she said, “but she has never seen
any--there were no children at the Convent under ten years of age, so
she does not know how to make enough of them when she meets them. She
wants to kiss every one. Sometimes, I tell her, I think she would like
to eat them. But she only means to be kind!”

“I am sure of that!” said Captain Pullen. “But she should be told,” interposed Elinor, “that it is not the custom
in civilised countries for strangers to kiss every child they meet, any
more than it is to speak before being introduced, or to bestow their
company where it is not desired. Miss Brandt has a great deal to learn
in that respect before she can enter English Society!”

As is often the case when a woman becomes unjust in abusing another,
Miss Leyton made Captain Pullen say more to cover her discourtesy,
than, in other circumstances, he would have done. “Miss Brandt,” he said slowly, “is so beautiful, that she will have
a great deal forgiven her, that would not be overlooked in a plainer
woman.”

“That may be _your_ opinion, but it is not mine,” replied Miss Leyton. Her tone was so acid, that it sent him flying from her side, to battle
with his confetti against the tribe of Montagues, who fortunately for
the peace of all parties, joined their forces to theirs, and after some
time spent on the Digue, they returned, a large party, to the Hotel. It was not until they had sat down to dinner, that they remembered they
had never been to see the lady jockey race. “He! he! he!” laughed Madame Gobelli, “but _I_ did, and you lost
something, I can tell you! We ’ad great difficulty to get seats, but
when we did, it was worth it, wasn’t it, Gustave?”

“_You_ said so, mein tear!” replied the Baron, gravely. “And you _thought_ so, you old rascal! don’t you tell me! _I_ saw
your wicked eyes glozing at the gals in their breeches and boots! There weren’t any ’orses, after all, Captain Pullen, but sixteen gals
with different-coloured jackets on and top boots and tight white
breeches--such a sight you never saw! Gustave ’ere did ’ave a treat! As for Bobby, when I found we couldn’t get out again, because of the
crowd, I tied my ’andkerchief over ’is eyes, and made him put ’is ’ead
in my lap!”

“Dear! dear!” cried Ralph, laughing, “was it as bad as that, Madame?”

“Bad! my dear boy! It was as bad as it could be! It’s a mercy you
weren’t there, or we shouldn’t ’ave seen you ’ome again so soon! There
were the sixteen gals, with their tight breeches and their short racing
jackets, and a fat fellow dressed like a huntsman whipping ’em round
and round the ring, as if they were so much cattle! You should ’ave
seen them ’op, when he touched ’em up with the lash of ’is whip. I
expect they’ve never ’ad such a tingling since the time their mothers
smacked ’em! There was a little fat one, there! I wish you could ’ave
seen ’er, when ’e whipped ’er to make ’er ’urry! It was comical! She
’opped like a kangaroo!”

“And what was the upshot of it all? Who won?” asked Ralph. “O! I don’t know! I got Gustave out as soon as I could! I wasn’t going
to let ’im spend the whole afternoon, watching those gals ’opping. There were ’is eyes goggling out of ’is ’ead, and his lips licking each
other, as if ’e was sucking a sugar-stick--”

“Mein tear! mein tear!” interposed the unfortunate Baron. “You go on with your dinner, Gustave, and leave me alone! _I_ saw you! And no more lady jockey races do you attend, whilst we’re in this
Popish country. They ain’t good for you.”

“I’m very thankful that I have been saved such a dangerous experiment,”
said Captain Pullen, “though if I thought that you would tie your
handkerchief over my eyes, and put my head in your lap, Madame, I
should feel tempted to try it as soon as dinner is over!”

“Go along with you, you bad boy!” chuckled the Baroness, “there’s
something else to see this evening! They are going to ’ave a procession
of lanterns as soon as it’s dark!”

“And it is to stop in front of every hotel,” added Harriet, “and the
landlords are going to distribute bonbons and gâteaux amongst the
lantern-bearers.”

“O! we must not miss that on any account!” replied Captain Pullen,
addressing himself to her in reply. Margaret and Elinor thought, when the time came, that they should be
able to see the procession of lanterns just as well from the balcony
as when mingled with the crowd, so they brought their work and books
down there, and sat with Ralph, drinking coffee and conversing of all
that had occurred. The Baroness had disappeared, and Harriet Brandt had
apparently gone with her--a fact for which both ladies were inwardly
thankful.