=Changarnier=:—­Pronounced shan gaer ny[=a]’; Nicholas Changarnier, a French general (1793-1877).

=Cavaignac=:—­Pronounced ka vay nyak’; Louis Eugene Cavaignac, a French general (1803-1857).  He ran for the Presidency against Louis Napoleon.

=Porte St. Martin=:—­The beginning of the Boulevard St. Martin, in Paris.

=Rue Royale=:—­Rue is the French word for street.

=Elysee=:—­A palace in Paris used as a residence by Napoleon III.

=one hundred francs=:—­About twenty dollars.

SUGGESTIONS FOR STUDY

What does the title suggest to you?  At what point do you change your idea as to the location of Laguerre’s?  Do you know of any picturesque places that are somewhat like the one described here?  Could you describe one of them for the class?  Why do people usually not appreciate the scenery near at hand?  What do you think of the plan of “seeing America first”?  What is meant here by “my traps”?  Why is it better to wait for Madame?  Why does Madame talk so crossly?  What sort of person is she?  See if you can tell accurately, from what follows in later pages, why Monsieur left Paris so hastily.  How does the author give you an idea of Francois Laguerre’s appearance?  Why does the author stop to give us the two paragraphs beginning, “There is a quality,” and “Then came a long interval”?  How does he get back to his subject?  Why does he not let Lucette bail the boat?  Who does bail it at last?  Why?  Do you think that every artist enjoys his work as the writer seems to enjoy his?  How does he make you feel the pleasure of it?  Why is there more enjoyment in eating out of doors than in eating in the house?  Why does the author sprinkle little French phrases through the piece?  Is it a good plan to use foreign phrases in this way?  What kind of man is Monsieur Laguerre?  Review his story carefully.  Why was the police agent murdered?  Who killed him?  Why has Monsieur Laguerre never found out what became of Cambier?

This selection deals with a number of different subjects:  Why does it not seem “choppy”?  How does the author manage to link the different parts together?  How would you describe this piece to some one who had not read it?  Mr. Smith is an artist who paints in water-colors:  do you see how his painting influences his writing?

THEME SUBJECTS

Madame Laguerre
Old-fashioned Garden
The Ferry
Sketching
An Old Pasture
The Stream
Good Places to Sketch
Learning to Paint
An Old Man with a History
An Incident in French History
Getting Dinner under Difficulties
A Scene in the Kitchen
Washing at the Pump
The Flight of the Suspect
Crossing the Ocean
penniless
The Foreigner
Looking for Work
A Dinner out of Doors
The French Family at Home
The Cellar
Some Pictures that I Like
A Restaurant
A Country Inn
What my Foreign Neighbors Eat
Landscapes
The Artist