I saw that it was nicely parted behind.
He took a cigarette out of a dainty box, stuck it into
a meerschaum holder which he carried in a morocco case,
and reached for my cigar. While he was lighting, I said:
"Yes - I am an American."
"I knew it - I can always tell them. What ship did you
come over in?"
"HOLSATIA."
"We came in the BATAVIA - Cunard, you know. What kind
of passage did you have?"
"Tolerably rough."
"So did we. Captain said he'd hardly ever seen it rougher.
Where are you from?"
"New England."
"So'm I. I'm from New Bloomfield. Anybody with you?"
"Yes - a friend."
"Our whole family's along. It's awful slow, going around
alone - don't you think so?"
"Rather slow."
"Ever been over here before?"
"Yes."
"I haven't. My first trip. But we've been all around - Paris
and everywhere. I'm to enter Harvard next year.
Studying German all the time, now. Can't enter till I
know German. I know considerable French - I get along
pretty well in Paris, or anywhere where they speak French.
What hotel are you stopping at?"
"Schweitzerhof."
"No! is that so? I never see you in the reception-room.
I go to the reception-room a good deal of the time,
because there's so many Americans there. I make lots
of acquaintances. I know an American as soon as I see
him - and so I speak to him and make his acquaintance.
I like to be always making acquaintances - don't you?"
"Lord, yes!"
"You see it breaks up a trip like this, first rate.
I never got bored on a trip like this, if I can
make acquaintances and have somebody to talk to.
But I think a trip like this would be an awful bore,
if a body couldn't find anybody to get acquainted with
and talk to on a trip like this. I'm fond of talking,
ain't you?
"Passionately."
"Have you felt bored, on this trip?"
"Not all the time, part of it."
"That's it! - you see you ought to go around and get acquainted,
and talk. That's my way. That's the way I always do - I
just go 'round, 'round, 'round and talk, talk, talk - I
never get bored. You been up the Rigi yet?"
"No."
"Going?"
"I think so."
"What hotel you going to stop at?"
"I don't know. Is there more than one?"
"Three. You stop at the Schreiber - you'll find it full
of Americans. What ship did you say you came over in?"
"CITY OF ANTWERP."
"German, I guess. You going to Geneva?"
"Yes."
"What hotel you going to stop at?"
"Hotel de l''Ecu de G'en`eve."
"Don't you do it! No Americans there! You stop at one
of those big hotels over the bridge - they're packed
full of Americans."
"But I want to practice my Arabic."
"Good gracious, do you speak Arabic?"
"Yes - well enough to get along."
"Why, hang it, you won't get along in Geneva - THEY don't
speak Arabic, they speak French.
