teness, to recall
either his name or his person. The landlord was an intelligent,
good-looking young fellow; he told them that he was lately married,
and they liked him so much that they were sorry to see him afterwards
privately boxing the ears of the piccolo, the waiter's little
understudy. Perhaps the piccolo deserved it, but they would rather not
have witnessed his punishment; his being in a dress-coat seemed to make
it also an indignity.

In the late afternoon they went to the cafe in the old Orangery of the
Schloss for a cup of tea, and found themselves in the company of several
Ansbach ladies who had brought their work, in the evident habit of
coming there every afternoon for their coffee and for a dish of gossip.
They were kind, uncomely, motherly-looking bodies; one of them combed
her hair at the table; and they all sat outside of the cafe with their
feet on the borders of the puddles which had not dried up there in the
shade of the building.

A deep lawn, darkened at its farther edge by the long shadows of trees,
stretched before them with the sunset light on it, and it was all very
quiet and friendly. The tea brought to the Marches was brewed from some
herb apparently of native growth, with bits of what looked like willow
leaves in it, but it was flavored with a clove in each cup, and they sat
contentedly over it and tried to make out what the Ansbach ladies were,
talking about. These had recognized the strangers for Americans, and one
of them explained that Americans spoke the same language as the English
and yet were not quite the same people.

"She differs from the girl in the book-store," said March, translating
to his wife. "Let us get away before she says that we are not so nice
as the English," and they made off toward the avenue of trees beyond the
lawn.

There were a few people walking up and down in the alley, making
the most of the moment of dry weather. They saluted one another like
acquaintances, and three clean-shaven, walnut-faced old peasants bowed
in response to March's stare, with a self-respectful civility. They were
yeomen of the region of Ansbach, where the country round about is dotted
with their cottages, and not held in vast homeless tracts by the nobles
as in North Germany.

The Bavarian who had imparted this fact to March at breakfast,
not without a certain tacit pride in it to the disadvantage of the
Prussians, was at the supper table, and was disposed to more talk, which
he