About Paris . on two sides of a valley whereevery one could look over into the others was a young couple near the corner,who, I think, had but lately married, and everyevening she used to watch for him in a freshgown for a half-hour or so before he came. Dur-ing the day she wore a very plain gown, and hereyes wandered everywhere ; but during that half-hour before he came she never changed her po-sition nor relaxed her vigil. And it made us allquite uncomfortable, and we could not give ourattention to anything else until he had turnedthe corner and waved his hand, and she had an-swer
About Paris . on two sides of a valley whereevery one could look over into the others was a young couple near the corner,who, I think, had but lately married, and everyevening she used to watch for him in a freshgown for a half-hour or so before he came. Dur-ing the day she wore a very plain gown, and hereyes wandered everywhere ; but during that half-hour before he came she never changed her po-sition nor relaxed her vigil. And it made us allquite uncomfortable, and we could not give ourattention to anything else until he had turnedthe corner and waved his hand, and she had an-swered him with a start and a little shrug ofcontent. After dinner they appeared together,and he would put his arm around her waist,with that refreshing disregard for the world thatFrench lovers have, and they would smile downupon us in a very happy and superior manner, orup at the sun as it sank a brilliant red at theend of our street, with the hundreds of chimney-pots looking like black musical notes against with a long loaf of bread THE STREETS OF PARIS 15 There was also a very interesting old lady inthe house that blocked the end of our street, avery fat and masculine old lady in a loose whitewrapper, who spent all of her time rearrangingher plants and flowers, and kept up an amiablerivalry with the people in the balconies aboveand below her in the abundance and verdure ofher garden. It was a very pleasant competitionfor the rest of us, as it hung that end of thestreet with a curtain of living green. For a little time there was a young girl whoused to sit upon the balcony whenever the sunwas brightest and the air not too chill ; but shetook no interest in the street, for she knew noth-ing of it except its noises. She lay always in aninvalids chair, looking up at the sky and theroof-line above, and with her profile against thegray wall. During the day a nurse in a whitecap sat with her; but after dinner a stout, jauntyman of middle age came back from his club orhis bureau,
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