302 The Real Charlotte, 



made more emphatic the greatness of the extent and of the 

 soUtude. They certainly did not bring much custom to 

 the little woman who had been beguiled by the fine weather 

 to set up her table of cakes and oranges in a sunny angle of 

 the palace wall, and sat by it all day, picturesque and 

 patient in her white cap, while her strip of embroidery 

 lengthened apace in the almost unbroken leisure. Even 

 the first Sunday of April, from which she had hoped great 

 things, brought her, during many bland and dazzling hours, 

 nothing except the purchase of a few sous worth of sweets, 

 and the afternoon was well advanced before she effected a 

 sale of any importance. A tall gentleman, evidently a 

 Monsieur Anglais, was wandering about, and she called to 

 him to tell him of the excellence of her brioches and the 

 beauty of her oranges. Ordinarily she had not found that 

 English gentlemen were attracted by her wares, but there 

 was something helpless about this one that gave her confi- 

 dence. He came up to her table and inspected its dainties 

 with bewildered disfavour, while a comfortable clink of 

 silver came from the pocket in which one hand was 

 fumbling. 



" Pain d'epices ! Des gateaux ! Ver' goot, ver' sveet ! " 

 she said encouragingly, bringing forth her entire English 

 vocabulary with her most v/inning smile. 



" I wish to goodness I knew what the beastly things are 

 made of," the Englishman murmured to himself. " I can't 

 go wrong with oranges anyhow. Er — cela, et cela s'ils vous 

 plait," producing in his turn his whole stock of French, 

 "combieng." He had only indicated two oranges, but the 

 little woman had caught the anxious glance at her cakes, and 

 without more ado chose out six of the most highly-glazed 

 brioches, and by force of will and volubility made her cus- 

 tomer not only take them but pay her two francs for them 

 and the oranges. 



The tall Englishman strode away round the corner of the 

 palace with these provisions, and along the great terrace 

 towards a solitary figure sitting forlornly at the top of one 

 of the flights of steps that drop in noble succession down to 

 the expanses of artificial water that seem to stretch away 

 into the heart of France. 



'* I couldn't find anywhere to get tea/' he said as soon as 



