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.
