nother day I almost entirely agreed with one of the girls
who was declaiming against her brother who had fallen in love with a
Californian. You had better take me away and send me to Germany."

Reuben Vanderpoel laughed. He understood Betty much better than most of
her relations did. He knew when seriousness underlay her jests and his
respect for her seriousness was great. He sent her to school in Germany.
During the early years of her schooldays Betty had observed that America
appeared upon the whole to be regarded by her schoolfellows principally
as a place to which the more unfortunate among the peasantry emigrated
as steerage passengers when things could become no worse for them in
their own country. The United States was not mentally detached from any
other portion of the huge Western Continent. Quite well-educated persons
spoke casually of individuals having "gone to America," as if there were
no particular difference between Brazil and Massachusetts.

"I wonder if you ever saw my cousin Gaston," a French girl once asked
her as they sat at their desks. "He became very poor through ill living.
He was quite without money and he went to America."

"To New York?" inquired Bettina.

"I am not sure. The town is called Concepcion."

"That is not in the United States," Betty answered disdainfully. "It is
in Chili."

She dragged her atlas towards her and found the place.

"See," she said. "It is thousands of miles from New York." Her companion
was a near-sighted, rather slow girl. She peered at the map, drawing a
line with her finger from New York to Concepcion.

"Yes, they are at a great distance from one another," she admitted, "but
they are both in America."

"But not both in the United States," cried Betty. "French girls always
seem to think that North and South America are the same, that they are
both the United States."

"Yes," said the slow girl with deliberation. "We do make odd mistakes
sometimes." To which she added with entire innocence of any ironic
intention. "But you Americans, you seem to feel the United States, your
New York, to be all America."

Betty started a little and flushed. During a few minutes of rapid
reflection she sat bolt upright at her desk and looked straight
before her. Her mentality was of the order which is capable of making
discoveries concerning itself as well as concerning others. She had
never thought of this view of the matter before, but it was quite true.
To passionate