“The matter is, I will resign my 'fonction' je m'en vais dat 's all! This is noting besser than an 'Eil wagen' mil passengers! Fust of all we have de doctor, as dey call him, wid his stuff birds and beasts, his dried blumen and sticks, till de roof is like de Jardin des Plantes at Paris, and he himself like de bear in de middle. Den we have das verfluchte parroquet of milady, and Flounce, de lapdog, dat must drink every post-station, and run up all de hills for exercise. Dam! Ich bin kein Hund, and need n't run up de hills too! Mademoiselle Celestine have a what d' ye call 'Affe' a ape; and though he be little, a reg'lar teufelchen to hide de keys and de money, when he find 'em. And den dere is de yong lady collectin' all de stones off de road, lauter paving-stones, which she smash wid a leetle hammer! Ach Gott, what is de world grow when a Fraulein fall in love wid Felsen and Steine!”
“Monsieur Gregoire! Monsieur Gregoire!” screamed out a sharp voice from a window overhead.
“Mademoiselle,” replied he, politely touching his cap to the femme-de-chambre.
“Be good enough, Monsieur Gregoire, to have my trunks taken down; there are two in the fourgon, and a cap-case on the large carriage.”
“Hagel and Sturm! dey are under everything. How am I—”
“I can't possibly say,” broke she in; “but it must be done.”
“Can't you wait, Mademoiselle, till we reach Basle?”
“I'm going away, Monsieur Gregoire. I'm off to Paris,” was the reply, as the speaker closed the sash and disappeared.
“What does she say?” inquired Twig, who, as this dialogue was carried on in French, was in total ignorance of its meaning.
“She has given her demission,” said the courier, pompously. “Resign her portefeuille, and she have made a very bad affair; dat's all. Your gros milor is very often bien bete; he is very often rude, savage, forget his manners, and all dat but” and here his voice swelled into the full soundness of a perfect connection “but he is alway rich. Ja ja, immer reich!” said he over to himself. “Allons! now to get at her verdammte baggage, de two trunks, and de leetle box, and de ape, and de sac, and de four or five baskets. Diable d'affaire! Monsieur Tig, do me de grace to mount on high dere, and give me dat box.”