Tales Of The Trains Part 9

said one.

"Horace Vernet was my companion last week," remarked another; "indeed I never guessed who it was, until a chance observation of mine about one of his own pictures, when he avowed his name."

"I had a more singular travelling-companion still," exclaimed a third; "no less a personage than Aboul Djerick, the Arab chief, whom the Marshal Bugeaud took prisoner."

"_Ma foi!_ gentlemen," said a dry old lady from the corner of the carriage, "these were not very remarkable characters, after all.

I remember coming down here with--what do you think?--for my fellow-traveller. Only guess. But it is no use; you would never hit upon it,--he was a baboon!"

"A baboon!" exclaimed all the party, in a breath.

"_Sacrebleu!_ Madame, you must be jesting."

"No, gentlemen, nothing of the kind. He was a tall fellow, as big as M.

le Capitaine yonder; and he had a tail--_mon Dieu!_ what a tail! When the conductor showed him into the carriage, it took nearly a minute to adjust that enormous tail."

A very general roar of laughter met this speech, excited probably more by the serious manner of the old lady as she mentioned this occurrence than by anything even in the event itself, though all were unquestionably astonished to account for the incident.

"Was he quiet, Madame?" said one of the pa.s.sengers.

"Perfectly so," replied she,--"_bien poli_."

Another little outbreak of laughter at so singular a phrase, with reference to the manners of an ape, disturbed the party.

"He had probably made his escape from the Jardin des Plantes," cried a thin old gentleman opposite.

"No, Monsieur; he lived in the Rue St. Denis."

"_Diable!_" exclaimed a lieutenant; "he was a good citizen of Paris. Was he in the Garde Nationale, Madame?"

"I am not sure," said the old lady, with a most provoking coolness.

"And where was he going, may I ask?" cried another.

"To Versailles, Monsieur,--poor fellow, he wept very bitterly."

"Detestable beast!" exclaimed the old gentleman; "they make a horrid mockery of humanity."

"Ah! very true, Monsieur; there is a strong resemblance between the two species." There was an unlucky applicability in this speech to the hook-nose, yellow-skinned, wrinkled little fellow it was addressed to, that once more brought a smile upon the party.

"Was there no one with him, then? Who took care of him, Madame?"

"He was alone, Monsieur. The poor fellow was a '_garcon_;' he told me so himself."

"Told you so!--the ape told you!--the baboon said that!" exclaimed each in turn of the party, while an outburst of laughter filled the carriage.

"'T is quite true,--just as I have the honor to tell you," said the old lady, with the utmost gravity; "and although I was as much surprised as you now are, when he first addressed me, he was so well-mannered, spoke such good French, and had so much agreeability that I forgot my fears, and enjoyed his society very much."

It was not without a great effort that the party controlled themselves sufficiently to hear the old lady's explanation. The very truthfulness of her voice and accent added indescribably to the absurdity; for while she designated her singular companion always as M. le Singe, she spoke of him as if he had been a naturalized Frenchman, born to enjoy all the inestimable privileges of "La Belle France." Her story was this--but it is better, as far as may be, to give it in her own words:--

"My husband, gentlemen, is greffier of the Correctional Court of Paris; and although obliged, during the session, to be every day at the Tribunal, we reside at Versailles, for cheapness, using the railroad to bring us to and from Paris. Now, it chanced that I set out from Paris, where I had spent the night at a friend's house, by the early train, which, you know, starts at five o'clock. Very few people travel by that train; indeed, I believe the only use of it is to go down to Versailles to bring up people from thence. It was a fine cheery morning--cold, but bright--in the month of March, as I took my place alone in one of the carriages of the train. After the usual delay (they are never prompt with this train), the word 'En route' was given, and we started; but before the pace was accelerated to a rapid rate, the door was wrenched open by the 'conducteur'--a large full-grown baboon, with his tail over his arm, stepped in--the door closed, and away we went. Ah! gentlemen, I never shall forget that moment. The beast sat opposite me, just like Monsieur there, with his old parchment face, his round brown eyes, and his long-clawed paws, which he clasped exactly like a human being. _Mon Dieu!_ what agony was mine! I had seen these creatures in the Jardin des Plantes, and knew them to be so vicious; but I thought the best thing to do was to cultivate the monster's good graces, and so I put my hand in my reticule and drew forth a morsel of cake, which I presented to him.

"'_Merci, Madame_,' said he, with a polite bow, 'I am not hungry.'

"Ah! when I heard him say this, I thought I should have died. The beast spoke it as plain as I am speaking to you; and he bowed his yellow face, and made a gesture of his hand, if I may call it a hand, just this way.

Whether he remarked my astonishment, or perceived that I looked ill, I can't say; but he observed in a very gentle tone,--

"'Madame is fatigued.'

"'Ah! Monsieur,' said I, 'I never knew that you spoke French.'

"'_Oui, parbleu!_' said he, 'I was born in the Pyrenees, and am only half a Spaniard.'

"'Monsieur's father, then,' said I, 'was he a Frenchman?'

"'_Pauvre bete_,' said he; 'he was from the Basque Provinces. He was a wild fellow.'

"'I have no doubt of it,' said I; 'but it seems they caught him at last.'

"'You are right, Madame. Strange enough you should have guessed it. He was taken in Estremadura, where he joined a party of brigands. They knew my father by his queue; for, amid all his difficulties, nothing could induce him to cut it off.'

"'I don't wonder,' said I; 'it would have been very painful.'

"'It would have made his heart bleed, Madame, to touch a hair of it.

He was proud of that old queue; and he might well be,--it was the best-looking tail in the North of Spain.'

"'Bless my heart,' thought I, 'these creatures have their vanities too.'

"'Ah, Madame, we had more freedom in those days. My father used to tell me of the nights he has pa.s.sed on the mountains, under the shade, or sometimes in the branches of the cork-trees, with pleasant companions, fellows of his own stamp. We were not hunted down then, as we are now; there was liberty then.'

"'Well, for my part,' said I, 'I should not dislike the Jardin des Plantes, if I was like one of you. It ain't so bad to have one's meals at regular times, and a comfortable bed, and a good dry house.'

"'I don't know what you mean by the Jardin des Plantes. I live in the Rue St. Denis, and I for one feel the chain about my ankles, under this vile _regime_ we live in at present.'

"He had managed to slip it off this time, anyhow; for I saw the creature's legs were free.

"'Ah, Madame,' exclaimed Le Singe, slapping his forehead with his paw, 'men are but rogues, cheats, and swindlers.'

"'Are apes better?' said I, modestly.

"'I protest I think they are,' said he. 'Except a propensity to petty pilfering, they are honest beasts.'

"'They are most affectionate,' said I, wis.h.i.+ng to flatter him; but he took no notice of the observation.

"'Madame,' exclaimed he, after a pause, and with a voice of unusual energy, 'I was so near being caught in a trap this very morning.'

"'Dear me,' said I, 'and they laid a trap for you?'

"'An infernal trap,' said he. 'A mistake might have cost me my liberty for life. Do you know M. Laborde, the director of the Gymnase?'