470 IN THE DIPLOMATIC SEUVIOE-II 



tlu 1 matter. There were seven of us. Facing each otlier at 

 one door we're the American lady, whom I will call "Mrs. 

 X.," and myself; at her left was her maid, then a vacant 

 scat, and then at the other door a (Jerman lady, richly at- 

 tired, evidently of high degree, and probably about fifty 

 years of age. Facing this (Jerman lady sat an elegantly 

 dressed young man of about thirty, also of aristocratic 

 manners, and a (Jerman. Between this gentleman and my- 

 self sat the son of Mrs. X. and the Austrian gentleman 

 who had presented me to her. 



Presently Mrs. X. bent over toward me and asked, in 

 an undertone, "AVhat do you think is the relationship 

 between those two people at the other door?" I answered 

 that quite likely they were brother and sister. "X^o," said 

 she; "they are man and wife. 7 ' I answered, "That can 

 hardly ho; there is a difference of at least twenty years 

 in the young man's favor." "Depend upon it," she 

 said, "they are man and wife; it is a mariatjc dc conve- 

 yance; she is dressed to look as young as possible." At 

 this I expressed new doubts, and the discussion dropped. 



Presently the young German gentleman said some- 

 thing to the lady opposite him which indicated that he 

 had lived in Berlin; whereupon Mrs. X. asked him, di- 

 agonally across the car, if he had been at the Berlin Uni- 

 versity. At this he turned in some surprise and answered, 

 civilly but coldly, "Yes, madam." Then he turned away 

 to converse with the lady who accompanied him. Mrs. X., 

 nothing daunted, persisted, and asked, "Have you been 

 r ccc nil >i at the university?" Before he could reply the 

 lady opposite him turned to 'Mrs. X. and said most haugh- 

 tily, "Mon Dion, madam, you must see that the gentleman 

 does not desire any conversation with you." At this 

 Mrs. X. became very bumble, and rejoined most peni- 

 tently, "Madam, I beg your pardon: if I had known that 

 the gentleman's mother did not wish him to talk with a, 

 stranger, I would not have spoken to him." At this the 

 (Jerman lady started as if stung, turned very red, and 

 replied, "Pardon, madam, I am not the mother of the 



