Resourceful and Logical

Baby Pierre sat under the stone archway of the Grosse Horloge in La Rochelle, with his begging bowl.

Many people passed by, but nobody put anything in.

This is not my idea of a gypsy lifestyle, said Baby Pierre. It's boring.

He peered over the top of his bowl.

Someone had dropped a piece of paper into it.

Baby Pierre climbed down into the bowl and unfolded the note.

GET A DOG! said the note.

That's good advice, said Baby Pierre. But I can't get a dog just like that. I'm moving on. At least I've learned something useful.

He thought of La Princesse de Babylone. He was like her. Resourceful and logical.

He must find his friends. They were in La Rochelle somewhere. He walked along beside the old harbour until he came to the Yelo water bus, which ran hourly to Pointe des Minimes.

I bet they've gone there, said Baby Pierre, hopping on to the Yelo.

........

Meanwhile at Pointe des Minimes, Gaius, Margaret and Ouvert were waiting for the return of the Yelo.

Ouvert was tucked comfortably inside Margaret's purple and white canvas bag. He liked it in there. There were English words printed on the outside of the bag. A Room of One's Own. And what was this? A book, La Princesse de Babylone. He opened it and started to read.

The pages were damp, and tore easily.

........

Margaret was chatting to Gaius.

Ouvert says the Romans produced wine in this region, she remarked.

I don't need Ouvert to tell me that, said Gaius. I was alive at the time. I probably drank some of it.

I bet you don't really remember, said Margaret. Ouvert read about it in a book.

Are you saying that reading about something in a book is better than remembering it directly? asked Gaius.

Yes, said Margaret. At least then you know that it's true.

Gaius made a disbelieving noise.

You wrote books yourself, added Margaret.