"
Then Joe told Cecile's plan to Pericard, and Pericard nodded, and
said it was good--only he could not help opening his eyes very widely
at the idea of three such little beggars, as he termed the children,
being able to afford the luxury of going by train. As, however, it
was impossible and, dangerous to confide in him any further, and as
Cecile had already given Joe the number of francs they thought they
should require out of her frock, he had to bear his curiosity in
silence.
Pericard, who was well up to Paris, and knew not only every place of
amusement, nearly every stall-owner, nearly every trade, and every
possible way of securing a sou, but also had in his head a fund of
odd knowledge with regard to railway stations, could now counsel the
children what station to go to, and even what train to take on their
way south.
He said they would probably be in time if they started at once to
catch a midnight train to Orleans; that for not too large a sum they
might travel third-class to Orleans, which city they would reach the
next morning. It was a large place, and as it would be impossible for
Anton to guess that they had gone by train at all, they would have
such a good start of him that he would probably not be able to find
them again.
Pericard also proposed that they should start at once, and as they
had no money to spare for cabs or omnibuses, they must walk to the
distant terminus from which they must start for the south.
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