already all the notes I want!"

VIII. Ideal Interviews

I. WITH A EUROPEAN PRINCE

With any European Prince, travelling in America

On receiving our card the Prince, to our great surprise and pleasure,
sent down a most cordial message that he would be delighted to see us at
once. This thrilled us.

"Take us," we said to the elevator boy, "to the apartments of the
Prince." We were pleased to see him stagger and lean against his wheel
to get his breath back.

In a few moments we found ourselves crossing the threshold of the
Prince's apartments. The Prince, who is a charming young man of from
twenty-six to twenty-seven, came across the floor to meet us with an
extended hand and a simple gesture of welcome. We have seldom seen
anyone come across the floor more simply.

The Prince, who is travelling incognito as the Count of Flim Flam, was
wearing, when we saw him, the plain morning dress of a gentleman of
leisure. We learned that a little earlier he had appeared at breakfast
in the costume of a Unitarian clergyman, under the incognito of the
Bishop of Bongee; while later on he appeared at lunch, as a delicate
compliment to our city, in the costume of a Columbia professor of
Yiddish.

The Prince greeted us with the greatest cordiality, seated himself,
without the slightest affectation, and motioned to us, with
indescribable bonhomie, his permission to remain standing.

"Well," said the Prince, "what is it?"

We need hardly say that the Prince, who is a consummate master of ten
languages, speaks English quite as fluently as he does Chinese. Indeed,
for a moment, we could scarcely tell which he was talking.

"What are your impressions of the United States?" we asked as we took
out our notebook.

"I am afraid," answered the Prince, with the delightful smile which is
characteristic of him, and which we noticed again and again during the
interview, "that I must scarcely tell you that."

We realized immediately that we were in the presence not only of a
soldier but of one of the most consummate diplomats of the present day.

"May we ask then," we resumed, correcting our obvious blunder, "what are
your impressions, Prince, of the Atlantic Ocean?"

"Ah," said the Prince, with that peculiar thoughtfulness which is so
noticeable in him and which we observed not once but several times, "the
Atlantic!"

Volumes could not have expressed his thought better.

"Did you," we asked, "see any ice during your p