eing brought face to face with the statues of
Goethe and Schiller on their native soil would kindle the sparks of
interest in German literature that she supposed every well-taught child
possessed, into the roaring flame of enthusiasm. She could not believe
that Letty had no sparks. One of her children being so abnormally
clever, it must be sheer obstinacy on the part of the other that
prevented it from acquiring the knowledge offered daily in such
unstinted quantities. She had no illusions in regard to Letty's person,
and felt that as she would never be pretty it was of importance that she
should at least be cultured. She sat opposite her daughter in the train,
and having nothing better to do during the long hours that they were
jolting across North Germany, looked at her; and the more she looked the
more unreasoningly angry she became that Peter's sister should be so
pretty and Peter's daughter so plain. And then so fat! What a horrible
thing to have to take a fat daughter about with you in society. Where
did she get it from? She herself and Peter were the leanest of mortals.
It must be that Letty ate too much, which was not only a disgusting
practice but an expensive one, and should be put down at once with
rigour. Susie had not had such an opportunity of thoroughly inspecting
her child for years, and the result of this prolonged examination of her
weak points was that she would not let any of the party have anything to
eat at all, declaring that it was vulgar to eat in trains, expressing
amazement that people should bring themselves to touch the
horrid-looking food offered, and turning her back in impatient disgust
on two stout German ladies who had got in at Oberhausen, and who were
enjoying their lunch quite unmoved by her contempt--one eating a chicken
from beginning to end without a fork, and the other taking repeated sips
of an obviously satisfactory nature from a big wine bottle, which was
used, in the intervals, as a support to her back.

By the time Berlin was reached, these ladies, having been properly fed
all day, were very cheerful, whereas Susie's party was speechless from
exhaustion; especially poor Miss Leech, who was never very strong, and
so nearly fainted that Susie was obliged to notice it, and expressed a
conviction to Anna in a loud and peevish aside that Miss Leech was going
to be a nuisance.

"It is strange," thought Anna, as she crept into bed, "how travelling
brings out one's worst passions."