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There they were, dozens of hopefuls on whom the fate of the nation rested creepers to ten-year-olds being scrubbed and dipped, or playing parlez-vous tag in lieu of towel, as innocent of clothes as Carlyle's imaginary House of Lords. And so I passed off from the road that traced the Seine to a road that kept company with the canal.
"O, I know. Parlez-vous Angleterre?" added Grossbeck, turning to the waiter. "Non, monsieur," replied the waiter, who did not speak "England." "O, confound it! What's the Dutch for wine?" demanded Lynch, impatiently. "I know eau de vie. Garçon, eau de vie," replied Grossbeck, confidently. The waiter disappeared, and presently returned with a small decanter and two minute wine-glasses.
Dismiss all fears on my account; I will give this 'PARLEZ-VOUS FRANCAIS' a lesson in fighting he little dreams of." They met on the duelling ground at the appointed hour. There were more spectators present than usual on such occasions. The Frenchman affected to treat the matter with indifference, and made some frivolous remarks which excited the laughter of his countrymen.
"Why, that's awfully cute!" exclaimed Terry. Until now her opinion of Mr. Sammett's talents had not been on a level with his. "Yeh, but wait till you hear the second verse. That's only part of the chorus. You see, he's supposed to be talking to a French girl. He says: I'll parlez-vous in Français plain, You'll answer, 'Cher Américain, We'll both. . . . . . . . . . ."
And now here he was chattering about her father! "It's the usual story," commented Louise calmly, "with these nouveaux riches." "Sh!" A moment of stillness, as if both were listening. Then, "Sprechen Sie Deutsch?" "I er read it fairly well." "Parlez-vous Francais?" "Oh, oui! Oui!" "Allors." And there followed, in undertones, a short, spirited conversation in the Gallic.
"Don't talk to me in Italian, Phil; I no understand it." Phil laughed. "You can speak English much better than most Italian boys." "Some cannot speak at all. Some speak french, because we all stayed in Paris sometime before we came to America." "Parlez-vous Francais?" "Oui, monsieur, un peu." "Well, I can't. Those three words are all the French I know.
In the same paper the dramatic critic, after explaining that at the rehearsals of L'Abime, the actors, who continually are complaining that they are ordered off on the wrong side, are quieted with the information that matters dramatic are managed in this way in bizzare England prints in a line apart, and by way of most humorous comment, these words, 'English spoken here. Conceive, my dear, an English humorous writer interlarding his picture of a French incident with the occasional interjection of Parlez-vous Français?
Vera's first thorough awakening the next morning was to hear outside the door, "Are you up, Fly?" "I shall be in a minute or two. Do you want me?" "You are a dab at parlez-vous. I want you to come ashore with me and cater for the starving crew." "What fun! Anon, anon, Sir!"
All this I myself did not know, and really I could not understand his gibberish. "Parlez-vous français?" I asked him at last in my distress. He shook his big head, and I was very glad, for neither did I speak French.
Hoskins asked him if he spoke English, and the officer said No; and it seems that he didn't know Italian either, and Mr. Hoskins tried him in Spanish, he picked up a little in New Mexico, but the officer didn't understand it; and all at once it occurred to Mr. Hoskins to say, 'Parlez-vous Français? and says the officer instantly, 'Oui, monsieur." "Of course the man knew French.
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