IN THE STATE OF DENMARK 111 



There were several other guests : gentlemen in dress- 

 eoats and grey trousers, ladies in elaborate dresses 

 that suggested a garden-party, but had certain hints 

 of evening about them; these compromises being 

 usual except at dinner-parties of the more majestic 

 kind. We were aware of the presence of a pastor, 

 recognisable by his dress, and of the accompanying 

 presence of the Fru Pastorinde, recognisable by the 

 mysterious similarity of clergymen's wives in all 

 climes, but the remainder were problems in a foreign 

 tongue. All were introduced to us, and all evaporated 

 from our proximity like water on a hot stove, and 

 then folded doors were thrown open, and with the 

 announcement of dinner we knew that the hour of 

 trial had come. 



Our hostess was visibly canvassing her available 

 men for the most suitable victims, and acute sym- 

 pathy transcended amusement as we saw the candi- 

 dates for the honour make polite but obviously 

 agonised excuses. How gladly, how gratefully, should 

 we have sat in respectful silence at a side-table while 

 these hapless strangers dined unmolested, but we 

 could not tell them so ; we had to wait in arch ex- 

 pectancy till the forlorn hope was ordered out, and 

 a small, middle-aged gentleman with an imposing 

 title was introduced to my cousin with the intimation 

 that he spoke French, while to me was apportioned 

 another elder, reputed to speak a little English. At 

 first his English certainly amounted to very little, 

 and seemed almost as limited as my ow^n supply of 

 German, but I presently realised that in some unfre- 

 quented brain recess he possessed solid blocks of the 

 language, and they gradually melted forth. Like 

 most of his race, he had an alarming knowledge of 

 England and its literature, combined with a depreca- 

 tion of his own country that may have been a wish 



