magined. They spend vast
fortunes in making homes in which they expect to live
forever--generation after generation.

To an American democrat the sad thing is the servile class. Before
the law the chimney sweep and the peer have exactly the same
standing. They have worked that out with absolute justice. But
there it stops. The serving class is what we should call abject. It
does not occur to them that they might ever become--or that their
descendants might ever become--ladies and gentlemen.

The "courts" are a very fine sight. The diplomatic ladies sit on a
row of seats on one side the throne room, the Duchesses on a row
opposite. The King and Queen sit on a raised platform with the
royal family. The Ambassadors come in first and bow and the King
shakes hands with them. Then come the forty or more Ministers--no
shake for them. In front of the King are a few officers in gaudy
uniform, some Indians of high rank (from India) and the court
officials are all round about, with pages who hold up the Queen's
train. Whenever the Queen and King move, two court officials back
before them, one carrying a gold stick and the other a silver
stick.

The ladies to be presented come along. They curtsy to the King,
then to the Queen, and disappear in the rooms farther on. The
Ambassadors (all in gaudy uniforms but me) stand near the
throne--stand through the whole performance. One night after an
hour or two of ladies coming along and curtsying and disappearing,
I whispered to the Spanish Ambassador, "There must be five hundred
of these ladies." "U-m," said he, as he shifted his weight to the
other foot, "I'm sure there are five thousand!" When they've all
been presented, the King and Queen go into a room where a stand-up
supper is served. The royalty and the diplomatic folks go into that
room, too; and their Majesties walk around and talk with whom they
please. Into another and bigger room everybody else goes and gets
supper. Then we all flock back to the throne room; and preceded by
the backing courtiers, their Majesties come out into the floor and
bow to the Ambassadors, then to the Duchesses, then to the general
diplomatic group and they go out. The show is ended. We come
downstairs and wait an hour for our car and come home about
midnight. The unifor