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ven and that she did not hear them。
The train left the station in Marseilles and there was not only the switch…yards and the factory smoke but； looking back； the town of Marseilles and the harbor with stone hills behind it and the last of the sun on the water。 As it was getting dark the train passed a farmhouse burning in a field。 Motor…cars were stopped along the road and bedding and things from inside the farmhouse were spread in the field。 Many people were watching the house burn。 After it was dark the train was in Avignon。 People got on and off。 At the news…stand Frenchmen； returning to Paris； bought that dayˇs French papers。 On the station platforms were Negro soldiers。 They wore brown uniforms and were tall and their faces shone； close under the electric light。 Their faces were very black and they were too tall to stare。 The train left Avignon station with the Negroes standing there。 A short white sergeant was with them。
Inside the lit salon compartment the porter had pulled down the three beds from inside the wall and prepared them for sleeping。 In the night the American lady lay without sleeping because the train was a rapide and went very fast and she was afraid of the speed in the night。 The American ladyˇs bed was the one next to the window。 The canary from Palermo； a cloth spread over his cage； was out of the draught in the corridor that went into the compartment washroom。 There was a blue light outside the compartment； and all night the train went very fast and the American lady lay awake and waited for a wreck。
In the morning the train was near Paris； and after the American lady had come out of the washroom； looking very wholesome and middle…aged and American in spite of not having slept； and had taken the cloth off the bird…cage and hung the cage in the sun； she went back to the restaurant car for breakfast。 When she came back to the lit salon compartment again； the beds had been pushed back into the wall and made into seats； the canary was shaking his feathers in the sunlight that came through the open window； and the train was much nearer Paris。
¨He loves the sun；〃 the American lady said。 ¨Heˇll sing now in a little while。〃
The canary shook his feathers and pecked in them。 ¨Iˇve always loved birds；〃 the American lady said。 ¨Iˇm taking him home to my little girl。 Thereheˇs singing now。〃
The canary chirped and the feathers on his throat stood out； then he dropped his bill and pecked into his feathers again。 The train crossed a river and passed through a very carefully tended forest。 The train passed through many outside of Paris towns。 There were train…cars in the towns and big advertisements for the Belle Jardini？re and Dubonnet and Pernod on the walls toward the train。 All that the train passed through looked as though it were before breakfast。 For several minutes I had not listened to the American lady； who was talking to my wife。
¨Is your husband American too？〃 asked the lady。
¨Yes；〃 said my wife。 ¨Weˇre both Americans。〃
¨I thought you were English。〃
¨Oh； no。〃
¨Perhaps that was because I wore braces；〃 I said。 I had started to say suspenders and changed it to braces in the mouth； to keep my English character。 The American lady did not hear。 She was really quite deaf； she read lips； and I had not looked toward her。 I had looked out of the window。 She went on talking to my wife。
¨Iˇm so glad youˇre Americans。 American men make the best husbands；〃 the American lady was saying。 ¨That was why we left the Continent； you know。 My daughter fell in love with a man in Vevey。〃 She stopped。 ¨They were simply madly in love。〃 She stopped again。 ¨I took her away； of course。〃
¨Did she get over it？〃 asked my wife。
¨I donˇt think so；〃 said the American lady。 ¨She wouldnˇt eat anything and she wouldnˇt sleep at all。 Iˇve tried so very hard； but she doesnˇt seem to take an interest in anything。 She doesnˇt care about things。 I couldnˇt have her marrying a foreigner。〃 She paused。 ¨Someone； a very good friend； told me once； ˉNo foreigner can make an American girl a good husband。ˇ 〃
¨No；〃 said my wife； ¨I suppose not。〃
The American lady admired my wifeˇs traveling coat； and it turned out that the American lady had bought her own clothes for twenty years now from the same maison de couture in the Rue Saint Honor？。 They had her measurements； and a vendeuse who knew her and her tastes picked the dresses out for her and they were sent to America。 They came to the post office near where she lived up…town in New York； and the duty was never exorbitant because they opened the dresses there in the post office to appraise them and they were always very simple…looking and with no gold lace nor ornaments that would make the dresses look expensive。 Before the present vendeuse； named Th？r？se； there had been another vendeuse； named Am？lie。 Altogether there had only been these two in the twenty years。 It had always been the same couturier。 Prices； however； had gone up。 The exchange； though； equalized that。 They had her daughterˇs measurements now too。 She was grown up and there was not much chance of their changing now。 The train was now coming into Paris。 The fortifications were leveled but grass had not grown。 There were many cars standing on tracksbrown wooden restaurant cars and brown wooden sleeping cars that would go to Italy at five oˇclock that night； if that train still left at five； the cars were marked Paris…Rome； and cars； with seats on the roofs； that went back and forth to the suburbs with； at certain hours； people in all the seats and on the roofs； if that were the way it were still done； and passing were the white walls and many windows of houses。 Nothing had eaten any breakfast。
¨Americans make the best husbands；〃 the American lady said to my wife。 I was getting down the bags。 ¨American men are the only men in the world to marry。〃
¨How long ago did you leave Vevey？〃 asked my wife。
¨Two years ago this fall。 Itˇs her； you know； that Iˇm taking the canary to。〃
¨Was the man your daughter was in love with a Swiss？〃
¨Yes；〃 said the American lady。 ¨He was from a very good family in Vevey。 He was going to be an engineer。 They met there in Vevey。 They used to go on long walks together。〃
¨I know Vevey；〃 said my wife。 ¨We were there on our honeymoon。〃
¨Were you really？ That must have been lovely。 I had no idea； of course； that sheˇd fall in love with him。〃
¨It was a very lovely place；〃 said my wife。
¨Yes；〃 said the American lady。 ¨Isnˇt it lovely？ Where did you stop there？〃
¨We stayed at the Trois Couronnes；〃 said my wife。
¨Itˇs such a fine old hotel；〃 said the American lady。
¨Yes；〃 said my wife。 ¨We had a very fine room and in the fall the country was lovely。〃
¨Were you there in the fall？〃
¨Yes；〃 said my wife。
We were passing three cars that had been in a wreck。 They were splintered open and the roofs sagged in。
¨Look；〃 I said。 ¨Thereˇs been a wreck。〃
The American lady looked and saw the last car。 ¨I was afraid of that all night；〃 she said。 ¨I have terrific presentiments about things sometimes。 Iˇ