Produced by Andrew Templeton, Juliet Sutherland, Charlie
Kirschner and PG Distributed Proofreaders
Frontispiece in color by
"Not a Britisher to be seen—or scarcely! Well, I can do without 'emfor a bit!"
And the Englishman whose mind shaped these words continued hisleisurely survey of the crowded salon of a Tyrolese hotel, into which adining-room like a college hall had just emptied itself after themid-day meal. Meanwhile a German, sitting near, seeing that his tallneighbour had been searching his pockets in vain for matches, offeredsome. The Englishman's quick smile in response modified the German'sgeneral opinion of English manners, and the two exchanged some remarkson the weather—a thunder shower was splashing outside—remarks whichbore witness at least to the Englishman's courage in using suchknowledge of the German tongue as he possessed. Then, smokingcontentedly, he leant against the wall behind him, still looking on.
He saw a large room, some seventy feet long, filled with amiscellaneous foreign crowd—South Germans, Austrians, Russians,Italians—seated in groups round small tables, smoking, playing cardsor dominoes, reading the day's newspapers which the funicular had justbrought up, or lazily listening to the moderately good band which wasplaying some Rheingold selection at the farther end.
To his left was a large family circle—Russians, according toinformation derived from the headwaiter—and among them, a girl,apparently about eighteen, sitting on the edge of the party andabsorbed in a novel of which she was eagerly turning the pages. Fromher face and figure the half savage, or Asiatic note, present in thephysiognomy and complexion of her brothers and sisters, was entirelyabsent. Her beautiful head with its luxuriant mass of black hair, wornlow upon the cheek, and coiled in thick plaits behind, reminded theEnglishman of a Greek fragment he had admired, not many days before, inthe Louvre; her form too was of a classical lightness and perfection.The Englishman noticed indeed that her temper was apparently not equalto her looks. When her small brothers interrupted her, she repelledthem with a pettish word or gesture; the English governess addressedher, and got no answer beyond a haughty look; even her mother wasscarcely better treated.
Close by, at another table, was another young girl, rather younger thanthe first, and equally pretty. She too was dark haired, with a delicateoval face and velvet black eyes, but without any of the passionatedistinction, the fire and flame of the other. She was German,evidently. She wore a plain white dress with a red sash, and her littlefeet in white shoes were lightly crossed in front of her. The face andeyes were all alive, it seemed to him, with happiness, with the merepleasure of life. She could not keep herself still for a moment. Eithershe was sending laughing signals to an elderly man near her, presumablyher father, or chattering at top speed with another girl of her ownage, or gathering her whole graceful body into a gesture of delight a