"What's the reason he won't take your passports?" said Carlos.
Although Rollo did not understand what the official said at the time of his speaking, still the words left a trace upon his ear, and in thinking upon them he recalled the words "American legation," and also the word "afterwards." While he was musing on the subject, quite perplexed, a pleasant-looking girl, who was standing there waiting for her turn, explained to him—speaking very slow in French, for she perceived that Rollo was a foreigner—as follows:—
"He says that you must go first and get your passports stamped at the American legation and afterwards come here."
"Where is the American legation?" said Rollo.
"I don't know," said the girl.
"Then I'll make the coachman find it for me," said Rollo. "Come, Carlos; we must go back."
So saying, he thanked the girl for her kindness, and the two boys went out. As he was going out Rollo made up a French sentence to say to the coachman that he must drive to the American legation, and that he must find out where it was himself. He succeeded in communicating these directions to the coachman, and then he and Carlos got into the carriage and drove away.
The coachman had some difficulty in learning where the American legation was, which occasioned some delay. Besides, the distance was considerable. It was nearly two miles to the place from the prefecture of police; so that it was some time before the carriage arrived there. In fact, Rollo had a very narrow escape in this stage of the affair; for he arrived at the American legation only about five minutes before the office was to be closed for the day. When he went to the porter's lodge to ask if that was the place where the office of the American legation was held, the woman who kept the lodge, and who was standing just outside the door at the time, instead of answering, went in to look at the clock.
"Ah," said she, "you are just in time. I thought you were too late. Second story, right-hand door."
"There's one thing good about the American legation, Carlos," said Rollo; "and that is, that they can talk English, I suppose."