to think that all American men,
and all American women, have a dim sort of family likeness to each
other. With the girls, it's their chins and the way they do their hair;
but with the men it's more mysterious. They look less lazy and more
feverish than our men, yet at the same time more humorous; and their
clothes seem always to be new.

Mrs. Ess Kay's nose turns down, and her brother's turns up, which is
the principal difference in their features, and his makes him look very
impudent, though rather clever and amusing.

"My sister wrote me about your dimples, Lady Betty," said he, when I
smiled; and I screwed my mouth into prunes and prisms as quickly as I
could.

"I should have thought such things were hardly worth writing about,"
said I.

"My impression is that they're worth about a million dollars an eighth
of an inch," he replied, "and I bet they'd fetch that in a bear
market."

I began to wish that Mrs. Ess Kay or Sally would come, for I'm not used
to having persons who have just introduced themselves make remarks on
my dimples or other features.

"Don't be mad with me," he went on, "or I shall think I've estimated
them too low. On mature consideration, as we soldier chaps say at a
court-martial, I should be inclined to set them higher. If you'll just
show them again----"

"I think, if you don't mind," said I, "that I'd rather speak of the
weather."

"I'm afraid you're not used to Americans," said he.

"I've met several, crossing, but none of them talked to me about--such
things," I replied, rather primly.

"If they had, I should have challenged them," he retorted. "While
you're staying with my sister, I consider myself a sort of guardian of
yours, and part of my duty will be to keep off men--other men--with a
stick, you see."

"No, I don't see," said I. "Not that there will be the least necessity
for you to do anything of the sort."

"Oh, won't there? Well, you just wait till you get to Newport, and
you'll find out differently. I've applied for leave on purpose to help
Kath protect you, and I expect to put on a suit of chain armour under
my clothes. But first, you're coming to visit me, at West Point."

"I don't think I am," I said.

"Oh, but you are. It's a promise of Kath's. And shan't I be proud to
show you around? You shall see Flirtation Walk the first thing. It's
what the ladies admire the most, at the Point. Perhaps you've heard of
it?"

"No," said I. "And I never heard of West Point.