OF THE SOUTH SEAS 113 



stanzas ending in "And the glory of her eyes over all.'* 

 There were bumpers and more, and "Bottoms up," until 

 a slat-like American' woman bounced off the veranda 

 with her sixth course uneaten to complain to Lovaina 

 that her hotel was no place for a Christian or a lady. 

 Lovaina almost wept with astonishment and grief, but 

 kept the champagne moving toward the Chappe-Hall 

 table as fast as it could be cooled, meanwhile assuring 

 the scandalized guest that nothing undecorous ever hap- 

 pened in the Tiare Hotel, but that it were better it did 

 than that young men should go to evil resorts for their 

 outbursts. 



"My place respectable," Lovaina said dignifiedly. 

 "I don' 'low no monkey bizeness. Drinkin' wine cus- 

 tom of Tahiti. Make little fun, no harm. If they go 

 that Cocoanut House, get in bad." 



Lovaina told me all about it. She was quite hurt at 

 the aspersions upon her home, and entered the dining- 

 room in a breathing spell to sit at my table, a rather un- 

 usual honor I deeply felt. I pledged my love for her 

 in Pol Roger, but she would have nothing but water. 



"I no drink these times," she explained. "Maybe 

 some day I do again. Make fat people too much big- 

 ger. That flat woman from 'Nited States, ain't she 

 funny? I think missionary." 



From the screened area in which the consuls dined 

 with the broker one heard: 



"Here's to the king, God bless him!" "Hoch der 

 KaiserT "Vive la Republique!'* "The Stars and 

 Stripes!" as the glasses were emptied by the consuls and 

 their wives and host. 



Lovaina had taken up the rug in the parlor, and a 



