CHAPTERI
IthaslongbeenthecustomoftheNorthGermanLloydsteamers，whichconveypassengersfromBrementoNewYork，toanchorforseveralhoursinthepleasantportofSouthampton，wheretheirhumancargoreceivesmanyadditions。AnintelligentyoungGerman，CountOttoVogelstein，hardlyknewafewyearsagowhethertocondemnthiscustomorapproveit。HeleanedoverthebulwarksoftheDonauastheAmericanpassengerscrossedtheplank——thetravellerswhoembarkatSouthamptonaremainlyofthatnationality——andcuriously，indifferently，vaguely，throughthesmokeofhiscigar，sawthemabsorbedinthehugecapacityoftheship，wherehehadtheagreeableconsciousnessthathisownnestwascomfortablymade。Towatchfromsuchapointofvantagethestrugglesofthoselessfortunatethanourselves——oftheuninformed，theunprovided，thebelated，thebewildered——isanoccupationnotdevoidofsweetness，andtherewasnothingtomitigatethecomplacencywithwhichouryoungfriendgavehimselfuptoit；nothing，thatis，saveanaturalbenevolencewhichhadnotyetbeenextinguishedbytheconsciousnessofofficialgreatness。ForCountVogelsteinwasofficial，asI
thinkyouwouldhaveseenfromthestraightnessofhisback，thelustreofhislightelegantspectacles，andsomethingdiscreetanddiplomaticinthecurveofhismoustache，whichlookedasifitmightwellcontributetotheprincipalfunction，ascynicssay，ofthelips——theactiveconcealmentofthought。HehadbeenappointedtothesecretaryshipoftheGermanlegationatWashingtonandinthesefirstdaysoftheautumnwasabouttotakepossessionofhispost。Hewasamodelcharacterforsuchapurpose——seriouscivilceremoniouscuriousstiff，stuffedwithknowledgeandconvincedthat，aslatelyrearranged，theGermanEmpireplacesinthemoststrikinglightthehighestofallthepossibilitiesofthegreatestofallthepeoples。Hewasquiteaware，however，oftheclaimstoeconomicandotherconsiderationoftheUnitedStates，andthatthisquarteroftheglobeofferedavastfieldforstudy。
Theprocessofinquiryhadalreadybegunforhim，inspiteofhishavingasyetspokentononeofhisfellow-passengers；thecasebeingthatVogelsteininquirednotonlywithhistongue，butwithhiseyes——thatiswithhisspectacles——withhisears，withhisnose，withhispalate，withallhissensesandorgans。Hewasahighlyuprightyoungman，whoseonlyfaultwasthathissenseofcomedy，orofthehumourofthings，hadneverbeenspecificallydisengagedfromhisseveralothersenses。Hevaguelyfeltthatsomethingshouldbedoneaboutthis，andinageneralmannerproposedtodoit，forhewasonhiswaytoexploreasocietyaboundingincomicaspects。
Thisconsciousnessofamissingmeasuregavehimacertainmistrustofwhatmightbesaidofhim；andifcircumspectionistheessenceofdiplomacyouryoungaspirantpromisedwell。Hismindcontainedseveralmillionsoffacts，packedtoocloselytogetherforthelightbreezeoftheimaginationtodrawthroughthemass。HewasimpatienttoreporthimselftohissuperiorinWashington，andthelossoftimeinanEnglishportcouldonlyincommodehim，inasmuchasthestudyofEnglishinstitutionswasnopartofhismission。Ontheotherhandthedaywascharming；thebluesea，inSouthamptonWater，prickedalloverwithlight，hadnomovementbutthatofitsinfiniteshimmer。MoreoverhewasbynomeanssurethatheshouldbehappyintheUnitedStates，wheredoubtlessheshouldfindhimselfsoonenoughdisembarked。Heknewthatthiswasnotanimportantquestionandthathappinesswasanunscientificterm，suchasamanofhiseducationshouldbeashamedtouseeveninthesilenceofhisthoughts。Lostnonethelessintheinconsideratecrowdandfeelinghimselfneitherinhisowncountrynorinthattowhichhewasinamanneraccredited，hewasreducedtohismerepersonality；sothatduringthehour，tosavehisimportance，hecultivatedsuchgroundaslayinsightforajudgementofthisdelaytowhichtheGermansteamerwassubjectedinEnglishwaters。
Mightn’titbeproved，facts，figuresanddocuments——oratleastwatch——inhand，considerablygreaterthantheoccasiondemanded？
CountVogelsteinwasstillyoungenoughindiplomacytothinkitnecessarytohaveopinions。Hehadagoodmanyindeedwhichhadbeenformedwithoutdifficulty；theyhadbeenreceivedready-madefromalineofancestorswhoknewwhattheyliked。Thiswasofcourse——andunderpressure，beingcandid，hewouldhaveadmittedit——anunscientificwayoffurnishingone’smind。Ouryoungmanwasastiffconservative，aJunkerofJunkers；hethoughtmoderndemocracyatemporaryphaseandexpectedtofindmanyargumentsagainstitinthegreatRepublic。Inregardtothesethingsitwasapleasuretohimtofeelthat，withhiscompletetraining，hehadbeentaughtthoroughlytoappreciatethenatureofevidence。TheshipwasheavilyladenwithGermanemigrants，whosemissionintheUnitedStatesdifferedconsiderablyfromCountOtto’s。Theyhungoverthebulwarks，denselygrouped；theyleanedforwardontheirelbowsforhours，theirshoulderskeptonalevelwiththeirears；themeninfurredcaps，smokinglong-bowledpipes，thewomenwithbabieshiddeninremarkablyuglyshawls。SomewereyellowGermansandsomewereblack，andalllookedgreasyandmattedwiththesea-damp。TheyweredestinedtoswellstillfurtherthehugecurrentoftheWesterndemocracy；andCountVogelsteindoubtlesssaidtohimselfthattheywouldn’timproveitsquality。Theirnumbers，however，werestriking，andIknownotwhathethoughtofthenatureofthisparticularevidence。
ThepassengerswhocameonboardatSouthamptonwerenotofthegreasyclass；theywereforthemostpartAmericanfamilieswhohadbeenspendingthesummer，oralongerperiod，inEurope。Theyhadagreatdealofluggage，innumerablebagsandrugsandhampersandsea-chairs，andwerecomposedlargelyofladiesofvariousages，alittlepalewithanticipation，wrappedalsoinstripedshawls，thoughinprettieronesthanthenursingmothersofthesteerage，andcrownedwithveryhighhatsandfeathers。Theydartedtoandfroacrossthegangway，lookingforeachotherandfortheirscatteredparcels；theyseparatedandreunited，theyexclaimedanddeclared，theyeyedwithdismaytheoccupantsoftheforwardquarter，whoseemednumerousenoughtosinkthevessel，andtheirvoicessoundedfaintandfarastheyrosetoVogelstein’searoverthelatter’sgreattarredsides。Henoticedthatinthenewcontingentthereweremanyyounggirls，andherememberedwhataladyinDresdenhadoncesaidtohim——thatAmericawasthecountryoftheMadchen。Hewonderedwhetherheshouldlikethat，andreflectedthatitwouldbeanaspecttostudy，likeeverythingelse。
HehadknowninDresdenanAmericanfamilyinwhichtherewerethreedaughterswhousedtoskatewiththeofficers，andsomeoftheladiesnowcomingonboardstruckhimasofthatsamehabit，exceptthatintheDresdendaysfeathersweren’twornquitesohigh。
Atlasttheshipbegantocreakandslowlybridge，andthedelayatSouthamptoncametoanend。Thegangwaywasremovedandthevesselindulgedintheawkwardevolutionsthatweretodetachherfromtheland。CountVogelsteinhadfinishedhiscigar，andhespentalongtimeinwalkingupanddowntheupperdeck。ThecharmingEnglishcoastpassedbeforehim，andhefeltthistobethelastoftheoldworld。TheAmericancoastalsomightbepretty——hehardlyknewwhatonewouldexpectofanAmericancoast；buthewassureitwouldbedifferent。Differences，however，werenotoriouslyhalfthecharmoftravel，andperhapsevenmostwhentheycouldn’tbeexpressedinfigures，numbers，diagramsortheothermerelyusefulsymbols。Asyetindeedtherewereveryfewamongtheobjectspresentedtosightonthesteamer。Mostofhisfellow-passengersappearedofoneandthesamepersuasion，andthatpersuasiontheleasttobemistaken。
TheywereJewsandcommercialtoaman。Andbythistimetheyhadlightedtheircigarsandputonallmannerofseafaringcaps，someofthemwithbigear-lappetswhichsomehowhadtheeffectofbringingouttheirpeculiarfacialtype。Atlastthenewvoyagersbegantoemergefrombelowandtolookaboutthem，vaguely，withthatsuspiciousexpressionoffacealwaystobenotedinthenewlyembarkedandwhich，asdirectedtotherecedingland，resemblesthatofapersonwhobeginstoperceivehimselfthevictimofatrick。
Earthandocean，insuchglances，aremadethesubjectofasweepingobjection，andmanytravellers，inthegeneralplight，haveanairatoncedupedandsuperior，whichseemstosaythattheycouldeasilygoashoreiftheywould。
Itstillwantedtwohoursofdinner，andbythetimeVogelstein’slonglegshadmeasuredthreeorfourmilesonthedeckhewasreadytosettlehimselfinhissea-chairanddrawfromhispocketaTauchnitznovelbyanAmericanauthorwhosepages，hehadbeenassured，wouldhelptopreparehimforsomeoftheoddities。Onthebackofhischairhisnamewaspaintedinratherlargeletters，thisbeingaprecautiontakenattherecommendationofafriendwhohadtoldhimthatontheAmericansteamersthepassengers——especiallytheladies——thoughtnothingofpilferingone’slittlecomforts。Hisfriendhadevenhintedatthecorrectreproductionofhiscoronet。
ThismarkedmanoftheworldhadaddedthattheAmericansaregreatlyimpressedbyacoronet。Iknownotwhetheritwasscepticismormodesty，butCountVogelsteinhadomittedeverypicturedpleaforhisrank；therewereothersofwhichhemighthavemadeuse。ThepreciouspieceoffurniturewhichontheAtlanticvoyageistrustednevertoflinchamonguniversalconcussionswasemblazonedsimplywithhistitleandname。Ithappened，however，thattheblazonrywashuge；thebackofthechairwascoveredwithenormousGermancharacters。Thistimetherecanbenodoubt：itwasmodestythatcausedthesecretaryoflegation，inplacinghimself，toturnthisportionofhisseatoutward，awayfromtheeyesofhiscompanions——topresentittothebalustradeofthedeck。
TheshipwaspassingtheNeedles——thebeautifuluttermostpointoftheIsleofWight。Certaintallwhiteconesofrockroseoutofthepurplesea；theyflushedintheafternoonlightandtheirvaguerosinessgavethemahumanexpressioninfaceofthecoldexpansetowardwhichtheprowwasturned；theyseemedtosayfarewell，tobethelastnoteofapeopledworld。Vogelsteinsawthemverycomfortablyfromhisplaceandafterawhileturnedhiseyestotheotherquarter，wheretheelementsofairandwatermanagedtomakebetweenthemsocomparativelypooranopposition。EvenhisAmericannovelistwasmoreamusingthanthat，andhepreparedtoreturntothisauthor。Inthegreatcurvewhichitdescribed，however，hisglancewasarrestedbythefigureofayoungladywhohadjustascendedtothedeckandwhopausedatthemouthofthecompanionway。
Thiswasnotinitselfanextraordinaryphenomenon；butwhatattractedVogelstein’sattentionwasthefactthattheyoungpersonappearedtohavefixedhereyesonhim。Shewasslim，brightlydressed，ratherpretty；VogelsteinrememberedinamomentthathehadnoticedheramongthepeopleonthewharfatSouthampton。Shewassoonawarehehadobservedher；whereuponshebegantomovealongthedeckwithastepthatseemedtoindicateapurposeofapproachinghim。VogelsteinhadtimetowonderwhethershecouldbeoneofthegirlshehadknownatDresden；buthepresentlyreflectedthattheywouldnowbemucholderthanthat。Itwastruetheywereapttoadvance，likethisone，straightupontheirvictim。Yetthepresentspecimenwasnolongerlookingathim，andthoughshepassednearhimitwasnowtolerablyclearshehadcomeabovebuttotakeageneralsurvey。Shewasaquickhandsomecompetentgirl，andshesimplywantedtoseewhatonecouldthinkoftheship，oftheweather，oftheappearanceofEngland，fromsuchapositionasthat；
possiblyevenofone’sfellow-passengers。Shesatisfiedherselfpromptlyonthesepoints，andthenshelookedabout，whileshewalked，asifinkeensearchofamissingobject；sothatVogelsteinfinallyarrivedataconvictionofherrealmotive。Shepassednearhimagainandthistimealmoststopped，hereyesbentuponhimattentively。Hethoughtherconductremarkableevenafterhehadgatheredthatitwasnotathisface，withitsyellowmoustache，shewaslooking，butatthechaironwhichhewasseated。Thenthosewordsofhisfriendcamebacktohim——thespeechaboutthetendencyofthepeople，especiallyoftheladies，ontheAmericansteamerstotaketothemselvesone’slittlebelongings。Especiallytheladies，hemightwellsay；forherewasonewhoapparentlywishedtopullfromunderhimtheverychairhewassittingon。Hewasafraidshewouldaskhimforit，sohepretendedtoread，systematicallyavoidinghereye。Hewasconsciousshehoverednearhim，andwasmoreovercurioustoseewhatshewoulddo。Itseemedtohimstrangethatsuchanice-lookinggirl——forherappearancewasreallycharming——shouldendeavourbyartssoflagranttoworkuponthequietdignityofasecretaryoflegation。Atlastitstoodoutthatshewastryingtolookroundacorner，asitwere——tryingtoseewhatwaswrittenonthebackofhischair。\"Shewantstofindoutmyname；shewantstoseewhoIam！\"Thisreflexionpassedthroughhismindandcausedhimtoraisehiseyes。Theyrestedonherown——
whichforanappreciablemomentshedidn’twithdraw。Thelatterwerebrilliantandexpressive，andsurmountedadelicateaquilinenose，which，thoughpretty，wasperhapsjustatrifletoohawk-like。
Itwastheoddestcoincidenceintheworld；thestoryVogelsteinhadtakenuptreatedofaflightyforwardlittleAmericangirlwhoplantsherselfinfrontofayoungmaninthegardenofanhotel。
Wasn’ttheconductofthisyoungladyatestimonytothetruthfulnessofthetale，andwasn’tVogelsteinhimselfinthepositionoftheyoungmaninthegarden？Thatyoungman——thoughwithmore，insuchconnexionsingeneral，togoupon——endedbyaddressinghimselftohisaggressor，asshemightbecalled，andafteraveryshorthesitationVogelsteinfollowedhisexample。\"IfshewantstoknowwhoIamshe’swelcome，\"hesaidtohimself；andhegotoutofthechair，seizeditbythebackand，turningitround，exhibitedthesuperscriptiontothegirl。Shecolouredslightly，butsmiledandreadhisname，whileVogelsteinraisedhishat。
\"I’mmuchobligedtoyou。That’sallright，\"sheremarkedasifthediscoveryhadmadeherveryhappy。
ItaffectedhimindeedasallrightthatheshouldbeCountOttoVogelstein；thisappearedevenratheraflippantmodeofdisposingofthefact。Bywayofrejoinderheaskedherifshedesiredofhimthesurrenderofhisseat。
\"I’mmuchobligedtoyou；ofcoursenot。Ithoughtyouhadoneofourchairs，andIdidn’tliketoaskyou。Itlooksexactlylikeoneofours；notsomuchnowaswhenyousitinit。Pleasesitdownagain。Idon’twanttotroubleyou。We’velostoneofours，andI’vebeenlookingforiteverywhere。Theylooksomuchalike；youcan’ttelltillyouseetheback。OfcourseIseetherewillbenomistakeaboutyours，\"theyoungladywentonwithasmileofwhichtheserenitymatchedherotherabundance。\"Butwe’vegotsuchasmallname——youcanscarcelyseeit，\"sheaddedwiththesamefriendlyintention。\"Ourname’sjustDay——youmightn’tthinkitWAS
aname，mightyou？ifwedidn’tmakethemostofit。Ifyouseethatonanything，I’dbesoobligedifyou’dtellme。Itisn’tformyself，it’sformymother；she’ssodependentonherchair，andthatoneI’mlookingforpullsoutsobeautifully。Nowthatyousitdownagainandhidethelowerpartitdoeslookjustlikeours。
Well，itmustbesomewhere。Youmustexcuseme；Iwouldn’tdisturbyou。\"
Thiswasalongandevenconfidentialspeechforayoungwoman，presumablyunmarried，tomaketoaperfectstranger；butMissDayacquittedherselfofitwithperfectsimplicityandself-possession。
Sheheldupherheadandsteppedaway，andVogelsteincouldseethatthefootshepresseduponthecleansmoothdeckwasslenderandshapely。Hewatchedherdisappearthroughthetrapbywhichshehadascended，andhefeltmorethaneverliketheyoungmaninhisAmericantale。Thegirlinthepresentcasewasolderandnotsopretty，ashecouldeasilyjudge，fortheimageofhersmilingeyesandspeakinglipsstillhoveredbeforehim。Hewentbacktohisbookwiththefeelingthatitwouldgivehimsomeinformationabouther。Thiswasratherillogical，butitindicatedacertainamountofcuriosityonthepartofCountVogelstein。Thegirlinthebookhadamother，itappeared，andsohadthisyounglady；theformerhadalsoabrother，andhenowrememberedthathehadnoticedayoungmanonthewharf——ayoungmaninahighhatandawhiteovercoat——whoseemedunitedtoMissDaybythisnaturaltie。Andtherewassomeoneelsetoo，ashegraduallyrecollected，anolderman，alsoinahighhat，butinablackovercoat——inblackaltogether——whocompletedthegroupandwhowaspresumablytheheadofthefamily。ThesereflexionswouldindicatethatCountVogelsteinreadhisvolumeofTauchnitzratherinterruptedly。
Moreovertheyrepresentedbuttheloosesteconomyofconsciousness；
forwasn’thetobeafloatinanoblongboxfortendayswithsuchpeople，andcoulditbedoubtedheshouldseeatleastenoughofthem？
Itmayaswellbewrittenwithoutdelaythathesawagreatdealofthem。IhavesketchedinsomedetailtheconditionsinwhichhemadetheacquaintanceofMissDay，becausetheeventhadacertainimportanceforthisfairsquareTeuton；butImustpassbrieflyovertheincidentsthatimmediatelyfollowedit。Hewonderedwhatitwasopentohim，aftersuchanintroduction，todoinrelationtoher，andhedeterminedhewouldpushthroughhisAmericantaleanddiscoverwhattheherodid。ButhesatisfiedhimselfinaveryshorttimethatMissDayhadnothingincommonwiththeheroineofthatworksavecertainsignsofhabitatandclimate——andsave，further，thefactthatthemalesexwasn’tterribletoher。Thelocalstampsharply，ashegathered，impresseduponherheestimatedindeedratherinaborrowedthaninanaturallight，forifshewasnativetoasmalltownintheinterioroftheAmericancontinentoneoftheirfellow-passengers，aladyfromNewYorkwithwhomhehadagooddealofconversation，pronouncedher\"atrociously\"provincial。
Howtheladyarrivedatthiscertitudedidn’tappear，forVogelsteinobservedthatsheheldnocommunicationwiththegirl。ItwastrueshegaveitthesupportofherlayingdownthatcertainAmericanscouldtellimmediatelywhootherAmericanswere，leavinghimtojudgewhetherornosheherselfbelongedtothecriticaloronlytothecriticisedhalfofthenation。Mrs。Dangerfieldwasahandsomeconfidentialinsinuatingwoman，withwhomVogelsteinfelthistalktakeaverywiderangeindeed。Sheconvincedhimrathereffectuallythateveninagreatdemocracytherearehumandifferences，andthatAmericanlifewasfullofsocialdistinctions，ofdelicateshades，whichforeignersoftenlacktheintelligencetoperceive。Didhesupposeeveryonekneweveryoneelseinthebiggestcountryintheworld，andthatonewasn’tasfreetochooseone’scompanythereasinthemostmonarchicalandmostexclusivesocieties？ShelaughedsuchdelusionstoscornasVogelsteintuckedherbeautifulfurredcoverlet——theyreclinedtogetheragreatdealintheirelongatedchairs——welloverherfeet。HowfreeanAmericanladywastochoosehercompanysheabundantlyprovedbynotknowinganyoneonthesteamerbutCountOtto。
HecouldseeforhimselfthatMr。andMrs。Dayhadnotatallhergrandair。Theywerefatplainseriouspeoplewhosatsidebysideonthedeckforhoursandlookedstraightbeforethem。Mrs。Dayhadawhiteface，largecheeksandsmalleyes：herforeheadwassurroundedwithamultitudeoflittletightblackcurls；herlipsmovedasifshehadalwaysalozengeinhermouth。SheworeentwinedaboutherheadanarticlewhichMrs。Dangerfieldspokeofasa\"nuby，\"aknittedpinkscarfconcealingherhair，encirclingherneckandhavingamongitsconvolutionsaholeforherperfectlyexpressionlessface。Herhandswerefoldedonherstomach，andinherstill，swathedfigureherlittlebead-likeeyes，whichoccasionallychangedtheirdirection，alonerepresentedlife。Herhusbandhadastiffgreybeardonhischinandabarespaciousupperlip，towhichconstantshavinghadimpartedahardglaze。Hiseyebrowswerethickandhisnostrilswide，andwhenhewasuncovered，inthesaloon，itwasvisiblethathisgrizzledhairwasdenseandperpendicular。Hemighthavelookedrathergrimandtruculenthadn’titbeenforthemildfamiliaraccommodatinggazewithwhichhislargelight-colouredpupils——theleisurelyeyesofasilentman——appearedtoconsidersurroundingobjects。Hewasevidentlymorefriendlythanfierce，buthewasmorediffidentthanfriendly。Helikedtohaveyouinsight，butwouldn’thavepretendedtounderstandyoumuchortoclassifyyou，andwouldhavebeensorryitshouldputyouunderanobligation。Heandhiswifespokesometimes，butseldomtalked，andtherewassomethingvagueandpatientinthem，asiftheyhadbecomevictimsofawroughtspell。Thespellhoweverwasofnosinistercast；itwasthefascinationofprosperity，theconfidenceofsecurity，whichsometimesmakespeoplearrogant，butwhichhadhadsuchadifferenteffectonthissimplesatisfiedpair，inwhomfurtherdevelopmentofeverykindappearedtohavebeenhappilyarrested。
Mrs。DangerfieldmadeitknowntoCountOttothateverymorningafterbreakfast，thehouratwhichhewrotehisjournalinhiscabin，theoldcouplewereguidedupstairsandinstalledintheircustomarycornerbyPandora。Thisshehadlearnedtobethenameoftheirelderdaughter，andshewasimmenselyamusedbyherdiscovery。
\"Pandora\"——thatwasinthehighestdegreetypical；itplacedtheminthesocialscaleifotherevidencehadbeenwanting；youcouldtellthatagirlwasfromtheinterior，themysteriousinterioraboutwhichVogelstein’simaginationwasnowquiteexcited，whenshehadsuchanameasthat。Thisyoungladymanagedthewholefamily，evenalittlethesmallbeflouncedsister，who，withboldprettyinnocenteyes，atorrentoffairsilkyhair，acrimsonfez，suchasiswornbymaleTurks，verymuchaskewontopofit，andawayofgallopingandstraddlingabouttheshipinanycompanyshecouldpickup——shehadlongthinlegs，veryshortskirtsandstockingsofeverytint——
wasgoinghome，inelegantFrenchclothes，toresumeaninterruptededucation。Pandoraoverlookedanddirectedherrelatives；
Vogelsteincouldseethisforhimself，couldseeshewasveryactiveanddecided，thatshehadinahighdegreethesentimentofresponsibility，settlingonthespotmostofthequestionsthatcouldcomeupforafamilyfromtheinterior。
Thevoyagewasremarkablyfine，anddayafterdayitwaspossibletositthereunderthesaltskyandfeelone’sselfroundingthegreatcurvesoftheglobe。Thelongdeckmadeawhitespotinthesharpblackcircleoftheoceanandintheintensesea-light，whiletheshadowofthesmoke-streamerstrembledonthefamiliarfloor，theshoesoffellow-passengers，distinctivenow，andinsomecasesirritating，passedandrepassed，accompanied，intheairsotremendously\"open，\"thatrenderedallvoicesweakandmostremarksratherflat，byfragmentsofopinionontherunoftheship。
VogelsteinbythistimehadfinishedhislittleAmericanstoryandnowdefinitelyjudgedthatPandoraDaywasnotatallliketheheroine。Shewasofquiteanothertype；muchmoreseriousandstrenuous，andnotatallkeen，ashehadsupposed，aboutmakingtheacquaintanceofgentlemen。Herspeakingtohimthatfirstafternoonhadbeen，hewasboundtobelieve，anincidentwithoutimportanceforherself；inspiteofherhavingfolloweditupthenextdaybytheremark，thrownathimasshepassed，withasmilethatwasalmostfraternal：\"It’sallright，sir！I’vefoundthatoldchair。\"Afterthisshehadn’tspokentohimagainandhadscarcelylookedathim。Shereadagreatdeal，andalmostalwaysFrenchbooks，infreshyellowpaper；notthelighterformsofthatliterature，butavolumeofSainte-Beuve，ofRenanoratthemost，inthewayofdissipation，ofAlfreddeMusset。Shetookfrequentexerciseandalmostalwayswalkedalone，apparentlynothavingmademanyfriendsontheshipandbeingwithouttheresourceofherparents，who，ashasbeenrelated，neverbudgedoutofthecosycornerinwhichsheplantedthemfortheday。
Herbrotherwasalwaysinthesmoking-room，whereVogelsteinobservedhim，inverytightclothes，hisneckencircledwithacollarlikeapalisade。Hehadasharplittleface，whichwasnotdisagreeable；hesmokedenormouscigarsandbeganhisdrinkingearlyintheday：buthisappearancegavenosignoftheseexcesses。Asregardseuchreandpokerandtheotherdistractionsoftheplacehewasguiltyofnone。Heevidentlyunderstoodsuchgamesinperfection，forheusedtowatchtheplayers，andevenatmomentsimpartiallyadvisethem；butVogelsteinneversawthecardsinhishand。Hewasreferredtoasregardsdisputedpoints，andhisopinioncarriedtheday。Hetooklittlepartintheconversation，usuallymuchrelaxed，thatprevailedinthesmoking-room，butfromtimetotimehemade，inhissoftflatyouthfulvoice，aremarkwhicheveryonepausedtolistentoandwhichwasgreetedwithroarsoflaughter。Vogelstein，wellasheknewEnglish，couldrarelycatchthejoke；buthecouldseeatleastthatthesemustbechoicespecimensofthatAmericanhumouradmiredandpractisedbyawholecontinentandyettoberenderedaccessibletoatraineddiplomatist，clearly，butbysomespecialandincalculablerevelation。Theyoungman，inhisway，wasveryremarkable，for，asVogelsteinheardsomeonesayonceafterthelaughterhadsubsided，hewasonlynineteen。Ifhissisterdidn’tresemblethedreadfullittlegirlinthetalealreadymentioned，therewasforVogelsteinatleastananalogybetweenyoungMr。Dayandacertainsmallbrother——acandy-lovingMadison，HamiltonorJefferson——whowas，intheTauchnitzvolume，attributedtothatunfortunatemaid。ThiswaswhatthelittleMadisonwouldhavegrownuptoatnineteen，andtheimprovementwasgreaterthanmighthavebeenexpected。
Thedayswerelong，butthevoyagewasshort，andithadalmostcometoanendbeforeCountOttoyieldedtoanattractionpeculiarinitsnatureandfinallyirresistible，and，inspiteofMrs。Dangerfield’semphaticwarning，soughtoccasionforalittlecontinuoustalkwithMissPandora。Tomentionthatthisimpulsetookeffectwithoutmentioningsundryotherofhiscurrentimpressionswithwhichithadnothingtodoisperhapstoviolateproportionandgiveafalseidea；buttopassitbywouldbestillmoreunjust。TheGermans，asweknow，areatranscendentalpeople，andtherewasatlastanirresistibleappealforVogelsteininthisquickbrightsilentgirlwhocouldsmileandturnvocalinaninstant，whoimpartedarareoriginalitytothefilialcharacter，andwhoseprofilewasdelicateasshebentitoveravolumewhichshecutassheread，orpresenteditinmusingattitudes，atthesideoftheship，tothehorizontheyhadleftbehind。Buthefeltittobeapity，asregardsapossibleacquaintancewithher，thatherparentsshouldbeheavylittleburghers，thatherbrothershouldnotcorrespondtohisconceptionofayoungmanoftheupperclass，andthathersistershouldbeaDaisyMillerenherbe。RepeatedlyadmonishedbyMrs。Dangerfield，theyoungdiplomatistwasdoublycarefulastotherelationshemightformatthebeginningofhissojournintheUnitedStates。
Thatladyremindedhim，andhehadhimselfmadetheobservationinothercapitals，thatthefirstyear，andeventhesecond，isthetimeforprudence。Onewasignorantofproportionsandvalues；onewasexposedtomistakesandthankfulforattention，andonemightgiveone’sselfawaytopeoplewhowouldafterwardsbeasamillstoneroundone’sneck：Mrs。Dangerfieldstruckandsustainedthatnote，whichresoundedintheyoungman’simagination。Sheassuredhimthatifhedidn’t\"lookout\"hewouldbecommittinghimselftosomeAmericangirlwithanimpossiblefamily。InAmerica，whenonecommittedone’sself，therewasnothingtodobutmarchtothealtar，andwhatshouldhesayforinstancetofindinghimselfanearrelationofMr。andMrs。P。W。Day？——sincesuchweretheinitialsinscribedonthebackofthetwochairsofthatcouple。
CountOttofelttheperil，forhecouldimmediatelythinkofadozenmenheknewwhohadmarriedAmericangirls。ThereappearednowtobeaconstantdangerofmarryingtheAmericangirl；itwassomethingonehadtoreckonwith，liketherailway，thetelegraph，thediscoveryofdynamite，theChassepotrifle，theSocialisticspirit：
itwasoneofthecomplicationsofmodernlife。
Itwoulddoubtlessbetoomuchtosaythathefearedbeingcarriedawaybyapassionforayoungwomanwhowasnotstrikinglybeautifulandwithwhomhehadtalked，inall，buttenminutes。But，aswerecognise，hewentsofarastowishthatthehumanbelongingsofapersonwhosehighspiritappearedtohavenotainteitheroffastness，astheysaidinEngland，orofsubversiveopinion，andwhosemouthhadcharminglines，shouldnotbealittlemoredistinguished。Therewasaneffectofdrolleryinherbehaviourtothesesubjectsofherzeal，whomsheseemedtoregardasacare，butnotasaninterest；itwasasiftheyhadbeenentrustedtoherhonourandshehadengagedtoconveythemsafetoacertainpoint；
shewasdetachedandinadvertent，andthensuddenlyremembered，repentedandcamebacktotuckthemintotheirblankets，toalterthepositionofhermother’sumbrella，totellthemsomethingabouttherunoftheship。Theselittleofficeswereusuallyperformeddeftly，rapidly，withtheminimumofwords，andwhentheirdaughterdrewnearthemMr。andMrs。Dayclosedtheireyesafterthefashionofapairofhouseholddogswhoexpecttobescratched。
OnemorningshebroughtuptheCaptainoftheshiptopresenttothem；sheappearedtohaveaprivateandindependentacquaintancewiththisofficer，andtheintroductiontoherparentshadtheairofasuddenhappythought。Itwasn’tsomuchanintroductionasanexhibition，asifsheweresayingtohim：\"Thisiswhattheylooklike；seehowcomfortableImakethem。Aren’ttheyratherqueerandratherdearlittlepeople？Buttheyleavemeperfectlyfree。OhI
canassureyouofthat。Besides，youmustseeitforyourself。\"
Mr。andMrs。Daylookedupatthehighfunctionarywhothusunbenttothemwithverylittlechangeofcountenance；thenlookedateachotherinthesameway。Hesaluted，heinclinedhimselfamoment；
butPandorashookherhead，sheseemedtobeansweringforthem；shemadelittlegesturesasifinexplanationtothegoodCaptainofsomeoftheirpeculiarities，asforinstancethatheneedn’texpectthemtospeak。Theyclosedtheireyesatlast；sheappearedtohaveakindofmesmericinfluenceonthem，andMissDaywalkedawaywiththeimportantfriend，whotreatedherwithevidentconsideration，bowingverylow，forallhisimportance，whenthetwopresentlyafterseparated。Vogelsteincouldseeshewascapableofmakinganimpression；andthemoralofourlittlematteristhatinspiteofMrs。Dangerfield，inspiteoftheresolutionsofhisprudence，inspiteofthelimitsofsuchacquaintanceashehadmomentarilymadewithher，inspiteofMr。andMrs。Dayandtheyoungmaninthesmoking-room，shehadfixedhisattention。
ItwasinthecourseoftheeveningafterthescenewiththeCaptainthathejoinedher，awkwardly，abruptly，irresistibly，onthedeck，whereshewaspacingtoandfroalone，thehourbeingauspiciouslymildandthestarsremarkablyfine。Therewerescatteredtalkersandsmokersandcouples，unrecognisable，thatmovedquicklythroughthegloom。Thevesseldippedwithlongregularpulsations；vagueandspectralunderthelowstars，itsswayingpinnaclesspottedhereandtherewithlights，itseemedtorushthroughthedarknessfasterthanbyday。CountOttohadcomeuptowalk，andasthegirlbrushedpasthimhedistinguishedPandora’sface——withMrs。
DangerfieldhealwaysspokeofherasPandora——undertheveilworntoprotectitfromthesea-damp。Hestopped，turned，hurriedafterher，threwawayhiscigar——thenaskedherifshewoulddohimthehonourtoaccepthisarm。Shedeclinedhisarmbutacceptedhiscompany，andheallowedhertoenjoyitforanhour。Theyhadagreatdealoftalk，andhewastorememberafterwardssomeofthethingsshehadsaid。Therewasnowacertaintyoftheship’sgettingintodockthenextmorningbutone，andthisprospectaffordedanobvioustopic。SomeofMissDay’sexpressionsstruckhimassingular，butofcourse，ashewasaware，hisknowledgeofEnglishwasnotniceenoughtogivehimaperfectmeasure。
\"I’mnotinahurrytoarrive；I’mveryhappyhere，\"shesaid。\"I’mafraidIshallhavesuchatimeputtingmypeoplethrough。\"
\"Puttingthemthrough？\"
\"ThroughtheCustom-House。We’vemadesomanypurchases。Well，I’vewrittentoafriendtocomedown，andperhapshecanhelpus。
He’sverywellacquaintedwiththehead。OnceI’mchalkedIdon’tcare。Ifeellikeakindofblackboardbythistimeanyway。WefoundthemawfulinGermany。\"
CountOttowonderedifthefriendshehadwrittentowereherloverandiftheyhadplightedtheirtroth，especiallywhenshealludedtohimagainas\"thatgentlemanwho’scomingdown。\"Heaskedherabouthertravels，herimpressions，whethershehadbeenlonginEuropeandwhatshelikedbest，andsheputittohimthattheyhadgoneabroad，sheandherfamily，foralittlefreshexperience。ThoughhefoundherveryintelligenthesuspectedshegavethisasareasonbecausehewasaGermanandshehadheardtheGermanswererichinculture。HewonderedwhatformofcultureMr。andMrs。DayhadbroughtbackfromItaly，GreeceandPalestine——theyhadtravelledfortwoyearsandbeeneverywhere——especiallywhentheirdaughtersaid：\"Iwantedfatherandmothertoseethebestthings。IkeptthemthreehoursontheAcropolis。Iguesstheywon’tforgetthat！\"
PerhapsitwasofPhidiasandPericlestheywerethinking，Vogelsteinreflected，astheysatruminatingintheirrugs。Pandoraremarkedalsothatshewantedtoshowherlittlesistereverythingwhileshewascomparativelyunformed（\"comparatively！\"hemutelygasped）；remarkablesightsmadesomuchmoreimpressionwhenthemindwasfresh：shehadreadsomethingofthatsortsomewhereinGoethe。Shehadwantedtocomeherselfwhenshewashersister’sage；butherfatherwasinbusinessthenandtheycouldn’tleaveUtica。TheyoungmanthoughtofthelittlesisterfriskingovertheParthenonandtheMountofOlivesandsharingfortwoyears，theyearsoftheschool-room，thisextraordinarypilgrimageofherparents；hewonderedwhetherGoethe’sdictumhadbeenjustifiedinthiscase。HeaskedPandoraifUticaweretheseatofherfamily，ifitwereanimportantortypicalplace，ifitwouldbeaninterestingcityforhim，asastranger，tosee。Hiscompanionrepliedfranklythatthiswasabigquestion，butaddedthatallthesameshewouldaskhimto\"comeandvisitusatourhome\"ifitweren’tthattheyshouldprobablysoonleaveit。
\"Ah，you’regoingtoliveelsewhere？\"Vogelsteinasked，asifthatfacttoowouldbetypical。
\"Well，I’mworkingforNewYork。IflattermyselfI’veloosenedthemwhilewe’vebeenaway，\"thegirlwenton。\"Theywon’tfindinUticathesamecharm；thatwasmyidea。Iwantabigplace，andofcourseUtica——！\"Shebrokeoffasbeforeacomplexstatement。
\"IsupposeUticaisinferior——？\"Vogelsteinseemedtoseehiswaytosuggest。
\"Wellno，IguessIcan’thaveyoucallUticainferior。Itisn’tsupreme——that’swhat’sthematterwithit，andIhateanythingmiddling，\"saidPandoraDay。Shegavealightdrylaugh，tossingbackherheadalittleasshemadethisdeclaration。Andlookingatheraskanceinthedusk，asshetrodthedeckthatvaguelyswayed，herecognisedsomethinginherairandportthatmatchedsuchapronouncement。
\"What’shersocialposition？\"heinquiredofMrs。Dangerfieldthenextday。\"Ican’tmakeitoutatall——it’ssocontradictory。Shestrikesmeashavingmuchcultivationandmuchspirit。Herappearance，too，isveryneat。Yetherparentsarecompletelittleburghers。That’seasilyseen。\"
\"Oh，socialposition，\"andMrs。Dangerfieldnoddedtwoorthreetimesportentously。\"Whatbigexpressionsyouuse！Doyouthinkeverybodyintheworldhasasocialposition？That’sreservedforaninfinitelysmallmajorityofmankind。Youcan’thaveasocialpositionatUticaanymorethanyoucanhaveanopera-box。Pandorahasn’tgotone；where，ifyouplease，shouldshehavegotit？Poorgirl，itisn’tfairofyoutomakeherthesubjectofsuchquestionsasthat。\"
\"Well，\"saidVogelstein，\"ifshe’softhelowerclassitseemstomevery——very——\"Andhepausedamoment，asheoftenpausedinspeakingEnglish，lookingforhisword。
\"Verywhat，dearCount？\"
\"Verysignificant，veryrepresentative。\"
\"Ohdear，sheisn’tofthelowerclass，\"Mrs。Dangerfieldreturnedwithanirritatedsenseofwastedwisdom。Shelikedtoexplainhercountry，butthatsomehowalwaysrequiredtwopersons。
\"Whatisshethen？\"
\"Well，I’mboundtoadmitthatsinceIwasathomelastshe’sanovelty。Agirllikethatwithsuchpeople——itISanewtype。\"
\"Ilikenovelties\"——andCountOttosmiledwithanairofconsiderableresolution。Hecouldn’thoweverbesatisfiedwithademonstrationthatonlybeggedthequestion；andwhentheydisembarkedinNewYorkhefelt，evenamidtheconfusionofthewharfandtheheapsofdisembowelledbaggage，acertainacutenessofregretattheideathatPandoraandherfamilywereabouttovanishintotheunknown。Hehadaconsolationhowever：itwasapparentthatforsomereasonorother——illnessorabsencefromtown——thegentlemantowhomshehadwrittenhadnot，asshesaid，comedown。
Vogelsteinwasglad——hecouldn’thavetoldyouwhy——thatthissympatheticpersonhadfailedher；eventhoughwithouthimPandorahadtoengagesingle-handedwiththeUnitedStatesCustom-House。
Ouryoungman’sfirstimpressionoftheWesternworldwasreceivedonthelanding-placeoftheGermansteamersatJerseyCity——ahugewoodenshedcoveringawoodenwharfwhichresoundedunderthefeet，anexpansepalisadedwithrough-hewnpilesthatleanedthiswayandthat，andbestrewnwithmassesofheterogeneousluggage。Atoneend；towardthetown，wasarowoftallpaintedpalings，behindwhichhecoulddistinguishapressofhackney-coachmen，whobrandishedtheirwhipsandawaitedtheirvictims，whiletheirvoicesrose，incessant，withasharpstrangesound，achallengeatoncefierceandfamiliar。Thewholeplace，behindthefence，appearedtobristleandresound。OuttherewasAmerica，CountOttosaidtohimself，andhelookedtowarditwithasensethatheshouldhavetomusterresolution。Onthewharfpeoplewererushingaboutamidtheirtrunks，pullingtheirthingstogether，tryingtounitetheirscatteredparcels。Theywereheatedandangry，orelsequitebewilderedanddiscouraged。Thefewthathadsucceededincollectingtheirbatteredboxeshadanairofflushedindifferencetotheeffortsoftheirneighbours，notevenlookingatpeoplewithwhomtheyhadbeenfondlyintimateonthesteamer。AdetachmentoftheofficersoftheCustomswasinattendance，andenergeticpassengerswereengagedinattemptstodragthemtowardtheirluggageortodragheavypiecestowardthem。Thesefunctionariesweregood-naturedandtaciturn，exceptwhenoccasionallytheyremarkedtoapassengerwhoseopentrunkstaredupatthem，eloquent，imploring，thattheywereafraidthevoyagehadbeen\"ratherglassy。\"Theyhadafriendlyleisurelyspeculativewayofdischargingtheirduty，andiftheyperceivedavictim’snamewrittenontheportmanteautheyaddressedhimbyitinatoneofoldacquaintance。Vogelsteinfoundhoweverthatiftheywerefamiliartheyweren’tindiscreet。HehadheardthatinAmericaallpublicfunctionarieswerethesame，thattherewasn’tadifferenttenue，astheysaidinFrance，fordifferentpositions，andhewonderedwhetheratWashingtonthePresidentandministers，whomheexpectedtosee——toHAVEtosee——agooddealof，wouldbelikethat。
HewasdivertedfromthesespeculationsbythesightofMr。andMrs。
Dayseatedsidebysideuponatrunkandencompassedapparentlybytheaccumulationsoftheirtour。Theirfacesexpressedmoreconsciousnessofsurroundingobjectsthanhehadhithertorecognised，andtherewasanairofplacidexpansioninthemysteriouscouplewhichsuggestedthatthisconsciousnesswasagreeable。Mr。andMrs。Daywere，astheywouldhavesaid，realgladtogetback。Atalittledistance，ontheedgeofthedock，ourobserverremarkedtheirson，whohadfoundaplacewhere，betweenthesidesoftwobigships，hecouldseetheferry-boatspass；thelargepyramidallow-ladenferry-boatsofAmericanwaters。
Hestoodthere，patientandconsidering，withhissmallneatfootonacoilofrope，hisbacktoeverythingthathadbeendisembarked，hisneckelongatedinitspolishedcylinder，whilethefragranceofhisbigcigarmingledwiththeodouroftherottingpiles，andhislittlesister，besidehim，huggedahugepostandtriedtoseehowfarshecouldcraneoverthewaterwithoutfallingin。Vogelstein’sservantwasoffinsearchofanexaminer；CountOttohimselfhadgothisthingstogetherandwaswaitingtobereleased，fullyexpectingthatforapersonofhisimportancetheceremonywouldbebrief。
BeforeitbeganhesaidawordtoyoungMr。Day，raisinghishatatthesametimetothelittlegirl，whomhehadnotyetgreetedandwhododgedhissalutebyswingingherselfboldlyoutwardtothedangeroussideofthepier。Shewasindeedstillunformed，butwasevidentlyaslightasafeather。
\"Iseeyou’rekeptwaitinglikeme。It’sverytiresome，\"CountOttosaid。
TheyoungAmericanansweredwithoutlookingbehindhim。\"Assoonaswe’restartedwe’llgoallright。Mysisterhaswrittentoagentlemantocomedown。\"
\"I’velookedforMissDaytobidhergood-bye，\"Vogelsteinwenton；
\"butIdon’tseeher。\"
\"Iguessshehasgonetomeetthatgentleman；he’sagreatfriendofhers。\"
\"Iguesshe’sherlover！\"thelittlegirlbrokeout。\"ShewasalwayswritingtohiminEurope。\"
Herbrotherpuffedhiscigarinsilenceamoment。\"Thatwasonlyforthis。I’lltellonyou，sis，\"hepresentlyadded。
ButtheyoungerMissDaygavenoheedtohismenace；sheaddressedherselfonly，thoughwithallfreedom，toVogelstein。\"ThisisNewYork；IlikeitbetterthanUtica。\"
Hehadnotimetoreply，forhisservanthadarrivedwithoneofthedispensersoffortune；butasheturnedawayhewondered，inthelightofthechild’spreference，aboutthetownsoftheinterior。
Hewasnaturallyexemptfromthecommondoom。Theofficerwhotookhiminhand，andwhohadalargestrawhatandadiamondbreastpin，wasquiteamanoftheworld，andinreplytotheCount’sformaldeclarationsonlysaid，\"Well，Iguessit’sallright；IguessI’lljustpassyou，\"distributingchalk-marksasiftheyhadbeensomanylove-pats。Theservanthaddonesomesuperfluousunlockingandunbuckling，andwhileheclosedthepiecestheofficerstoodtherewipinghisforeheadandconversingwithVogelstein。\"Firstvisittoourcountry，sir？——quitealone——noladies？Ofcoursetheladiesarewhatwe’remostafter。\"Itwasinthismannerheexpressedhimself，whiletheyoungdiplomatistwonderedwhathewaswaitingforandwhetherheoughttoslipsomethingintohispalm。Butthisrepresentativeoforderleftourfriendonlyamomentinsuspense；
hepresentlyturnedawaywiththeremarkquitepaternallyuttered，thathehopedtheCountwouldmakequiteastay；uponwhichtheyoungmansawhowwrongheshouldhavebeentoofferatip。ItwassimplytheAmericanmanner，whichhadafinishofitsownafterall。
Vogelstein’sservanthadsecuredaporterwithatruck，andhewasabouttoleavetheplacewhenhesawPandoraDaydartoutofthecrowdandaddressherselfwithmucheagernesstothefunctionarywhohadjustliberatedhim。Shehadanopenletterinherhandwhichshegavehimtoreadandoverwhichhecasthiseyes，thoughtfullystrokinghisbeard。Thensheledhimawaytowhereherparentssatontheirluggage。CountOttosentoffhisservantwiththeporterandfollowedPandora，towhomhereallywishedtoaddressawordoffarewell。Thelastthingtheyhadsaidtoeachotherontheshipwasthattheyshouldmeetagainonshore。Itseemedimprobablehoweverthatthemeetingwouldoccuranywherebutjusthereonthedock；inasmuchasPandorawasdecidedlynotinsociety，whereVogelsteinwouldbeofcourse，andas，ifUtica——hehadhersharplittlesister’swordforit——wasworsethanwhatwasabouthimthere，he’dbehangedifhe’dgotoUtica。HeovertookPandoraquickly；shewasintheactofintroducingtherepresentativeofordertoherparents，quiteinthesamemannerinwhichshehadintroducedtheCaptainoftheship。Mr。andMrs。Daygotupandshookhandswithhimandtheyevidentlyallpreparedtohavealittletalk。\"Ishouldliketointroduceyoutomybrotherandsister，\"heheardthegirlsay，andhesawherlookaboutfortheseappendages。Hecaughthereyeasshedidso，andadvancedwithhishandoutstretched，reflectingthewhilethatevidentlytheAmericans，whomhehadalwayshearddescribedassilentandpractical，rejoicedtoextravaganceinthesocialgraces。TheydawdledandchatteredlikesomanyNeapolitans。
\"Good-bye，CountVogelstein，\"saidPandora，whowasalittleflushedwithhervariousexertionsbutdidn’tlooktheworseforit。\"I
hopeyou’llhaveasplendidtimeandappreciateourcountry。\"
\"Ihopeyou’llgetthroughallright，\"Vogelsteinanswered，smilingandfeelinghimselfalreadymoreidiomatic。
\"Thatgentleman’ssickthatIwroteto，\"sherejoined；\"isn’tittoobad？Buthesentmedownalettertoafriendofhis——oneoftheexaminers——andIguesswewon’thaveanytrouble。Mr。Lansing，letmemakeyouacquaintedwithCountVogelstein，\"shewenton，presentingtoherfellow-passengerthewearerofthestrawhatandthebreastpin，whoshookhandswiththeyoungGermanasifhehadneverseenhimbefore。Vogelstein’sheartroseforaninstanttohisthroat；hethankedhisstarshehadn’tofferedatiptothefriendofagentlemanwhohadoftenbeenmentionedtohimandwhohadalsobeendescribedbyamemberofPandora’sfamilyasPandora’slover。
\"It’sacaseofladiesthistime，\"Mr。Lansingremarkedtohimwithasmilewhichseemedtoconfesssurreptitiously，andasifneitherpartycouldbeeager，torecognition。
\"Well，Mr。Bellamysaysyou’lldoanythingforHIM，\"Pandorasaid，smilingverysweetlyatMr。Lansing。\"Wehaven’tgotmuch；we’vebeengoneonlytwoyears。\"
Mr。Lansingscratchedhisheadalittlebehind，withamovementthatsenthisstrawhatforwardinthedirectionofhisnose。\"Idon’tknowasI’ddoanythingforhimthatIwouldn’tdoforyou，\"herespondedwithanequalgeniality。\"Iguessyou’dbetteropenthatone\"——andhegavealittleaffectionatekicktooneofthetrunks。
\"Ohmother，isn’thelovely？It’sonlyyoursea-things，\"Pandoracried，stoopingoverthecofferwiththekeyinherhand。
\"Idon’tknowasIlikeshowingthem，\"Mrs。Daymodestlymurmured。
VogelsteinmadehisGermansalutationtothecompanyingeneral，andtoPandoraheofferedanaudiblegood-bye，whichshereturnedinabrightfriendlyvoice，butwithoutlookingroundasshefumbledatthelockofhertrunk。
\"We’lltryanother，ifyoulike，\"saidMr。Lansinggood-humouredly。
\"Ohnoithasgottobethisone！Good-bye，CountVogelstein。I
hopeyou’lljudgeuscorrectly！\"
Theyoungmanwenthiswayandpassedthebarrierofthedock。HerehewasmetbyhisEnglishvaletwithafaceofconsternationwhichledhimtoaskifacabweren’tforthcoming。
\"Theycall’em’acks’ere，sir，\"saidtheman，\"andthey’rebeyondeverything。Hewantsthirtyshillingstotakeyoutotheinn。\"
Vogelsteinhesitatedamoment。\"Couldn’tyoufindaGerman？\"
\"BythewayhetalksheISaGermansaidtheman；andinamomentCountOttobeganhiscareerinAmericabydiscussingthetariffofhackney-coachesinthelanguageofthefatherland。
CHAPTERII
Hewentwhereverhewasasked，onprinciple，partlytostudyAmericansocietyandpartlybecauseinWashingtonpastimesseemedtohimnotsonumerousthatonecouldaffordtoneglectoccasions。Attheendoftwowintershehadnaturallyhadagoodmanyofvariouskinds——hisstudyofAmericansocietyhadyieldedconsiderablefruit。
When，however，inApril，duringthesecondyearofhisresidence，hepresentedhimselfatalargepartygivenbyMrs。Bonnycastleandofwhichitwasbelievedthatitwouldbethelastseriousaffairoftheseason，hisbeingthere（andstillmorehislookingveryfreshandtalkative）wasnottheconsequenceofaruleofconduct。HewenttoMrs。Bonnycastle’ssimplybecausehelikedthelady，whosereceptionswerethepleasantestinWashington，andbecauseifhedidn’tgotherehedidn’tknowwhatheshoulddo；thatabsenceofalternativeshavingbecomefamiliartohimbythewatersofthePotomac。Therewereagreatmanythingshedidbecauseifhedidn’tdothemhedidn’tknowwhatheshoulddo。ItmustbeaddedthatinthiscaseeveniftherehadbeenanalternativehewouldstillhavedecidedtogotoMrs。Bonnycastle’s。Ifherhousewasn’tthepleasantestthereitwasatleastdifficulttosaywhichwaspleasanter；andthecomplaintsometimesmadeofitthatitwastoolimited，thatitleftout，onthewhole，morepeoplethanittookin，appliedwithmuchlessforcewhenitwasthrownopenforageneralparty。Towardtheendofthesocialyear，inthosesoftscenteddaysoftheWashingtonspringwhentheairbegantoshowasouthernglowandtheSquaresandCircles（towhichthewideemptyavenuesconvergedaccordingtoaplansoingenious，yetsobewildering）toflushwithpinkblossomandtomakeonewishtositonbenches——underthismagicofexpansionandcondonationMrs。
Bonnycastle，whoduringthewinterhadbeenagooddealonthedefensive，relaxedhervigilancealittle，becamewhimsicallywilful，vernallyreckless，asitwere，andceasedtocalculatetheconsequencesofanhospitalitywhichareferencetothebackfilesoreventothemorning’sissueofthenewspapersmighteasilyproveamistake。ButWashingtonlife，toCountOtto’sapprehension，waspavedwithmistakes；hefelthimselfinasocietyfoundedonfundamentalfallaciesandtriumphantblunders。Littleaddictedashewastothesportiveviewofexistence，hehadsaidtohimselfatanearlystageofhissojournthattheonlywaytoenjoythegreatRepublicwouldbetoburnone’sstandardsandwarmone’sselfattheblaze。SuchwerethereflexionsofatheoreticTeutonwhonowwalkedforthemostpartamidtheashesofhisprejudices。
Mrs。Bonnycastlehadendeavouredmorethanoncetoexplaintohimtheprinciplesonwhichshereceivedcertainpeopleandignoredcertainothers；butitwaswithdifficultythatheenteredintoherdiscriminations。Americanpromiscuity，goodnessknew，hadbeenstrangetohim，butitwasnothingtothequeernessofAmericancriticism。Thisladywoulddiscoursetohimapertedevueondifferenceswhereheonlysawresemblances，andboththemeritsandthedefectsofagoodmanymembersofWashingtonsociety，asthissocietywasinterpretedtohimbyMrs。Bonnycastle，hewasoftenatalosstounderstand。Fortunatelyshehadafundofgoodhumourwhich，asIhaveintimated，wasapttocomeuppermostwiththeAprilblossomsandwhichmadethepeopleshedidn’tinvitetoherhousealmostasamusingtoherasthoseshedid。Herhusbandwasnotinpolitics，thoughpoliticsweremuchinhim；butthecouplehadtakenuponthemselvestheresponsibilitiesofanactivepatriotism；theythoughtitrighttoliveinAmerica，differingthereinfrommanyoftheiracquaintanceswhoonly，withsomegrimness，thoughtitinevitable。TheyhadthatburdensomeheritageofforeignreminiscencewithwhichsomanyAmericansweresaddled；buttheycarrieditmoreeasilythanmostoftheircountry-people，andoneknewtheyhadlivedinEuropeonlybytheirpresentexultation，neverintheleastbytheirregrets。Theirregrets，thatis，wereonlyfortheireverhavinglivedthere，asMrs。Bonnycastleoncetoldthewifeofaforeignminister。Theysolvedalltheirproblemssuccessfully，includingthoseofknowingnoneofthepeopletheydidn’twishto，andoffindingplentyofoccupationinasocietysupposedtobemeagrelyprovidedwithresourcesforthatbodywhichVogelsteinwastohearinvoked，againandagain，withthemixtureofdesireandofdeprecationthatmighthaveattendedthementionofasecretvice，underthenameofaleisure-class。Whenasthewarmweatherapproachedtheyopenedboththewingsoftheirhouse-door，itwasbecausetheythoughtitwouldentertainthemandnotbecausetheywereconsciousofapressure。AlfredBonnycastleallwinterindeedchafedalittleatthedefinitenessofsomeofhiswife’sreserves；itstruckhimthatforWashingtontheirsocietywasreallyalittletoogood。Vogelsteinstillrememberedthepuzzledfeeling——
ithadclearedupsomewhatnow——withwhich，morethanayearbefore，hehadheardMr。Bonnycastleexclaimoneevening，afteradinnerinhisownhouse，wheneveryguestbuttheGermansecretary（whooftensatlatewiththepair）haddepartedHangit，there’sonlyamonthleft；letusbevulgarandhavesomefun——letusinvitethePresident。\"
ThiswasMrs。Bonnycastle’scarnival，andontheoccasiontowhichI
beganmychapterbyreferringthePresidenthadnotonlybeeninvitedbuthadsignifiedhisintentionofbeingpresent。IhastentoaddthatthiswasnotthesameaugustrulertowhomAlfredBonnycastle’sirreverentallusionhadbeenmade。TheWhiteHousehadreceivedanewtenant——theoldonewasthenjustleavingit——andCountOttohadhadtheadvantage，duringthefirsteighteenmonthsofhisstayinAmerica，ofseeinganelectoralcampaign，apresidentialinaugurationandadistributionofspoils。Hehadbeenbewilderedduringthosefirstweeksbyfindingthatatthenationalcapitalinthehouseshesupposedtobethebest，theheadoftheStatewasnotacovetedguest；forthiscouldbetheonlyexplanationofMr。Bonnycastle’swhimsicalsuggestionoftheirinvitinghim，asitwere，incarnival。HissuccessorwentoutagooddealforaPresident。
Thelegislativesessionwasover，butthismadelittledifferenceintheaspectofMrs。Bonnycastle’srooms，whichevenattheheightofthecongressionalseasoncouldscarcebesaidtooverflowwiththerepresentativesofthepeople。TheyweregarnishedwithanoccasionalSenator，whosemovementsandutterancesoftenappearedtoberegardedwithamixtureofalarmandindulgence，asiftheywouldbedisappointingiftheyweren’tratheroddandyetmightbedangerousifnotcarefullywatched。Ouryoungmanhadcometoentertainakindnessfortheseconscriptfathersofinvisiblefamilies，whohadsomethingofthetogainthevoluminousfoldsoftheirconversation，butwereotherwiseratherbareandbald，withstonywrinklesintheirfaces，likebustsandstatuesofancientlaw-givers。Thereseemedtohimsomethingchillandexposedintheirbeingatoncesoexaltedandsonaked；therewerefrequentlonesomeglancesintheireyes，asifinthesocialworldtheirlegislativeconsciousnesslongedforthewarmthofafewcomfortablelawsready-made。MembersoftheHousewereveryrare，andwhenWashingtonwasnewtotheinquiringsecretaryheusedsometimestomistakethem，inthehallsandonthestaircaseswherehemetthem，forthefunctionariesengaged，understress，tousheringuestsandwaitatsupper。Itwasonlyalittlelaterthatheperceivedtheselatterpubliccharactersalmostalwaystobeimpressiveandofthatrichracialhuewhichofitselfservedasalivery。Atpresent，however，suchconfoundingfiguresweremuchlesstobemetthanduringthemonthsofwinter，andindeedtheywereneverfrequentatMrs。Bonnycastle’s。AtpresentthesocialvistasofWashington，likethevastfreshflatnessoftheletteredandnumberedstreets，whichatthisseasonseemedtoVogelsteinmorespaciousandvaguethanever，suggestedbutapaucityofpoliticalphenomena。CountOttothateveningkneweveryoneoralmosteveryone。Therewereofteninquiringstrangers，expectinggreatthings，fromNewYorkandBoston，andtothem，inthefriendlyWashingtonway，theyoungGermanwaspromptlyintroduced。Itwasasocietyinwhichfamiliarityreignedandinwhichpeoplewereliabletomeetthreetimesaday，sothattheirultimateessencereallybecameamatterofimportance。