Of endeavouring to obtain seats by fraud, and each one
more than hinted that the other six were liars.
What annoyed me was that they quarrelled in English. They all had
languages of their own, - there were four Belgians, two Frenchmen,
and a German, - but no language was good enough for them to insult
each other in but English.
Finding that there seemed to be no chance of their ever agreeing
among themselves, they appealed to us. We unhesitatingly decided in
favour of the five thinnest, who, thereupon, evidently regarding the
matter as finally settled, sat down, and told the other two to get
out.
These two stout ones, however - the German and one of the Belgians -
seemed inclined to dispute the award, and called up the station-
master.
The station-master did not wait to listen to what they had to say,
but at once began abusing them for being in the carriage at all. He
told them they ought to be ashamed of themselves for forcing their
way into a compartment that was already more than full, and
inconveniencing the people already there.
He also used English to explain this to them, and they got out on
the platform and answered him back in English.
English seems to be the popular language for quarrelling in, among
foreigners.
