But the passage of the law of
1866 has let loose upon the community a swarm of ignorant coachmen, who,
assuming the reins and whip, in some instances without any knowledge
even of the great thoroughfares of Paris, will lead their unhappy hirer
a pretty dance, particularly if he or she is a stranger on a first visit
to the great city. I know of one instance where a lady, desirous of
visiting the Pare Monceau, was taken to the extreme northern boundary of
the city limits, and was only rescued by the intervention of the police.
Then one must be very particular as to the pronunciation of the name of
the street, as so many streets exist in Paris the names of which closely
resemble each other when spoken, such as the Rue de Teheran and the Rue
de Turin, the Rue du Marl and the Rue d'Aumale, etc. And if your
coachman _can_ make a mistake, you may rest assured he will do it.
The Parisian cab is not, like its London compeer, a prohibited pariah of
a vehicle, excluded from parks or the court-yards of palaces. You can go
to call at the Elysee or to attend a ball there in a cab if you like,
and the Bois de Boulogne or the Pare Monceau is as free to that plebeian
vehicle as to the landau of a prince. And if one attends a ball in
Paris, there is no need to engage a carriage to return home in.
Attracted by the lights, the cabmen station their vehicles in long lines
in the neighborhood of any mansion where such a festivity is taking
place, waiting patiently till three, four and five o'clock in the
morning for a chance of conveying home some of the merrymakers.
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