A time would come when we must go from Aix-les-Bains to Geneva，and from thence，by a series of daylong and tangled journeys，to Bayreuth in Bavaria.I should have to have a courier，of course，to take care of so considerable a party as mine.
But I procrastinated.The time slipped along，and at last I woke up one day to the fact that we were ready to move and had no courier.I then resolved upon what I felt was a foolhardy thing，but I was in the humor of it.I said I would make the first stage without help—I did it.
I brought the party from Aix to Geneva by myself—four people.The distance was two hours and more，and there was one change of cars.There was not an accident of any kind，except leaving a valise and some other matters on the platform—a thing which can hardly be called an accident，it is so common.So I offered to conduct the party all the way to Bayreuth.
This was a blunder，though it did not seem so at the time.There was more detail than I thought there would be:1，Two persons whom we had left in a Genevan pension some weeks before must be collected and brought to the hotel；2，I must notify the people on the Grand Quay who store trunks to bring seven of our stored trunks to the hotel and carry back seven which they would find piled in the lobby；3，I must find out what part of Europe Bayreuth was in and buy seven railway tickets for that point；4，I must send a telegram to a friend in the Netherlands；5，It was now two in the afternoon，and we must look sharp and be ready for the first night train and make sure of sleeping-car tickets；6，I must draw money at the bank.
It seemed to me that the sleeping-car tickets must be the most important thing，so I went to the station myself to make sure；hotel messengers are not always brisk people.It was a hot day，and I ought to have driven，but it seemed better economy to walk.It did not turn out so，because I lost my way and trebled the distance.I applied for the tickets，and they asked me which route I wanted to go by，and that embarrassed me and made me lose my head，there were so many people standing around，and I not knowing anything about the routes and not supposing there were going to be two；so I judged it best to go back and map out the road and come again.
I took a cab this time，but on my way up-stairs at the hotel I remembered that I was out of cigars，so I thought it would be well to get some while the matter was in my mind.It was only round the corner，and I didn't need the cab.I asked the cabman to wait where he was.Thinking of the telegram and trying to word it in my head，I forgot the cigars and the cab，and walked on indefinitely.I was going to have the hotel people send the telegram，but as I could not be far from the post-office by this time，I thought I would do it myself.But it was further than I had supposed.I found the place at last and wrote the telegram and handed it in.The clerk was a severe-looking，fidgety man，and he began to fire French questions at me in such a liquid form that I could not detect the joints between his words，and this made me lose my head again.But an Englishman stepped up and said the clerk wanted to know where he was to send the telegram.I could not tell him，because it was not my telegram，and I explained that I was merely sending it for a member of my party.But nothing would pacify the clerk but the address；so I said that if he was so particular I would go back and get it.
However，I thought I would go and collect those lacking two persons first，for it would be best to do everything systematically and in order，and one detail at a time.Then I remembered the cab was eating up my substance down at the hotel yonder；so I called another cab and told the man to go down and fetch it to the post-office and wait till I came.
I had a long，hot walk to collect those people，and when I got there they couldn't come with me because they had heavy satchels and must have a cab.I went away to find one，but before I ran across any I noticed that I had reached the neighborhood of the Grand Quay—at least I thought I had—so I judged I could save time by stepping around and arranging about the trunks.I stepped around about a mile，and although I did not find the Grand Quay，I found a cigar shop，and remembered about the cigars.I said I was going to Bayreuth，and wanted enough for the journey.The man asked me which route I was going to take.I said I did not know.He said he would recommend me to go by Zurich and various other places which he named，and offered to sell me seven second-class through tickets for twenty-two dollars apiece，which would be throwing off the discount which the railroads allowed him.I was already tired of riding second-class on first-class tickets，so I took him up.
By and by I found Natural &Co.'s storage office，and told them to send seven of our trunks to the hotel and pile them up in the lobby.It seemed to me that I was not delivering the whole of the message，still it was all I could find in my head.