translator's
frontier it got side-tracked.

"But on the other hand I believe in statistics; and those on divorces
appear to me to be most conclusive." And he sets himself the task of
explaining--in a couple of columns--the process by which Easy-Divorce
conceived, invented, originated, developed, and perfected an
empire-embracing condition of sexual purity in the States. IN 40 YEARS.
No, he doesn't state the interval. With all his passion for statistics
he forgot to ask how long it took to produce this gigantic miracle.

I have followed his pleasant but devious trail through those columns,
but I was not able to get hold of his argument and find out what it
was. I was not even able to find out where it left off. It seemed to
gradually dissolve and flow off into other matters. I followed it
with interest, for I was anxious to learn how easy-divorce eradicated
adultery in America, but I was disappointed; I have no idea yet how
it did it. I only know it didn't. But that is not valuable; I knew it
before.

Well, humor is the great thing, the saving thing, after all. The
minute it crops up, all our hardnesses yield, all our irritations and
resentments flit away, and a sunny spirit takes their place. And so,
when M. Bourget said that bright thing about our grandfathers, I broke
all up. I remember exploding its American countermine once, under
that grand hero, Napoleon. He was only First Consul then, and I was
Consul-General--for the United States, of course; but we were very
intimate, notwithstanding the difference in rank, for I waived that. One
day something offered the opening, and he said:

"Well, General, I suppose life can never get entirely dull to an
American, because whenever he can't strike up any other way to put in
his time he can always get away with a few years trying to find out who
his grandfather was!"

I fairly shouted, for I had never heard it sound better; and then I was
back at him as quick as a flash--"Right, your Excellency! But I reckon
a Frenchman's got his little stand-by for a dull time, too; because when
all other interests fail he can turn in and see if he can't find out who
his father was!"

Well, you should have heard him just whoop, and cackle, and carry on! He
reached up and hit me one on the shoulder, and says:

"Land, but it's good! It's immensely good! George, I never heard it
said so good in my life before! Say it again."

So I said it again, and he said his again, and I said mine