French to English Art/Literary Poetry & Literature

early 20th c.
the woman is traveling from Italy to France, and after passing the customs she recognises she has lost a ring, which is of sentimental value. the "chief du train" is called and they have to fill in forms.

(after searching the compartment and asking if the ring was valuable and receiving the "valeur sentimentale" answer, they go on with the paperwork):
'(the story as told by her daughter) My mother talked; the men wrote down her name and the father's name (the woman has a considerably mixed background)
"Nom de jeune fille de la mére? Lieu de naissance de la mére?"
My mother, though impatient of most kind of footling, was inured to this process and spelt it all out in good heart.
"Providence (in italics)?" repeated the chief. "Et ou cela se trouve? (italics)"
"En Amérique du Nord (italics)," my mother said, smiling at him.
"Bougre. (italics)"'