shelf, so that pedestrians often walked in the road. This made it
difficult to drive rapidly, and, moreover, many of the streets were
steep and hilly.

"It never seems to matter," observed Patty, "whether you're going out of
Paris or coming in; it's always uphill, and never down. I think that
after you've climbed a hill, they whisk it around the other way, so that
you're obliged to climb it again on your return."

"Of course they do," agreed Bert; "you can see by the expression of the
people that they're chuckling at us now, and they'll chuckle again when
we pass this way to-night, still climbing."

Neither of the cars in which our party travelled were good hill-
climbers, although they could go fast enough on the level. But nobody
cared, and notwithstanding some delays, the ground was rapidly covered.

"There's one town I want to go through," said Patty, "but I'm not sure
it's in our route. It's called Noisy-le-Roi. Of course, I know that,
really, Noisy is not pronounced in the English fashion, but I like to
think that it is, and I call it so myself."

"There's no harm in that; I suppose a free-born American citizen has a
right to pronounce French any way she chooses, and I like that way
myself. Noisy-le-Roi sounds like an abode of the Mad Monarch, and you
expect to see the king and all his courtiers and subjects dancing madly
around or playing hilarious games."

"Yes, a sort of general racket, with everybody waving garlands and
carrying wreaths, and flags floating and streamers streaming---"