I wuzn’t sea-sick at all nor Tommy, but my poor companion suffered, and so did many of the passengers. There wuz a young chap who wuz the picture of elegance when he come aboard, and dretful big feelin’ I should judge from his looks and acts. But, oh, how low sea-sickness will bring the hautiest head! I see him one day leanin’ up agin the side of the ship lookin’ yeller and ghastly. His sleek clothes all neglected lookin’, his hat sot on sideways, and jest as I wuz passin’ he wuz sayin’ to the aristocratic lookin’ chap he wuz travellin’ with:
“For Heaven’s sake, Aubrey, throw me overboard!”
His mean wuz wild, and though I didn’t like his words I made excuses for him, knowin’ that mankind wuz as prone to rampage round in sickness and act as sparks are to fly up chimbly. But, take it as a whole, we had a pleasant voyage.
We only made a short stay in Marseilles, but long enough to drive round some and see the most noted sights of the city, which is the principal seaport of France.
On the northern part is the old town with narrer windin’ streets and middlin’ nasty and disagreeable, but interestin’ because the old Roman ramparts are there and a wonderful town hall. A magnificent avenue separates the old part from the new, a broad, beautiful street extendin’ in a straight line 300 the hull length of the city. Beyend is the Prado, a delightful sea-side promenade.
The new city is built round the port and rises in the form of an amphitheatre; the hills all round are covered with beautiful gardens, vineyards, olive groves and elegant country houses. Just acrost from the harbor is the old chateau where Mirabeau wuz imprisoned, poor humbly creeter! but smart. He didn’t do as he’d ort to by his wife, and Mary Emily realized it and wouldn’t make up with him, though he argued his case powerful in their lawsuit. But he wuz a smart soldier and writ quite eloquent things. He stood for the rights of the people as long as he could, till they got too obstropulous, as they sometimes will when they git to goin’. But I presoom he did desire his country’s good. His poor body wuz buried with pomp and public mourning, and then a few years after taken up and laid with criminals. But good land! he’d got beyend it all. He had gone to his place wherever it wuz, and it didn’t make any difference to him where the outgrown garment of his body wuz.
But to resoom: The Cathedral is quite a noble lookin’ edifice, built so I hearn, on the spot where a temple once stood where they worshipped Diana; not Diana Henzy, Deacon Henzy’s sister. Josiah thought I meant her when I spoke on’t, and said the idee of anybody worshippin’ that cranky old maid, but as I told him it wuz another old maid or bachelor maid, as I spoze she ort to be called, some years older than Diana Henzy. Sez I, “This Diana wuz a great case to live out-doors in groves and mountains.” Sez I, “Some say she was the daughter of Zeus, and twin of Apollo.”
And Josiah said them two wuz nobody he ever neighbored with.
And I sez, “No, you hain’t old enough.” And that tickled him; he duz love to be thought young.
There is a French Protestant church, where the English residents worship, and churches and synagogues where other sects meet.