he railway.
It's rather a curiosity."

We came into the Hakone mountains by way of some Irish scenery, a Scotch
trout-stream, a Devonshire combe, and an Indian river running masterless
over half a mile of pebbles. This was only the prelude to a set of
geological illustrations, including the terraces formed by ancient
river-beds, denudation, and half a dozen other ations. I was so busy
telling the man from Yokohama lies about the height of the Himalayas
that I did not watch things closely, till we got to Yokohama, at eight
in the evening, and went to the Grand Hotel, where all the clean and
nicely dressed people who were just going in to dinner regarded us with
scorn, and men, whom we had met on steamers aforetime, dived into
photograph books and pretended not to see us. There's a deal of human
nature in a man--got up for dinner--when a woman is watching him--and
you look like a brick-layer--even in Yokohama.

The Grand is the Semi or Cottage Grand really, but you had better go
there unless a friend tells you of a better. A long course of good luck
has spoiled me for even average hotels. They are too fine and large at
the Grand, and they don't always live up to their grandeur; unlimited
electric bells, but no one in particular to answer 'em; printed menu,
but the first comers eat all the nice things, and so forth. None the
less there are points about the Grand not to be despised. It is modelled
on the American fashion, and is but an open door through which you may
catch the first gust from the Pacific slope. Officially, there are twice
as many English as Americans in the port. Actually, you hear no
languages but French, German, or American in the street. My experience
is sadly limited, but the American I have heard up to the present, is a
tongue as distinct from English as Patagonian.

A gentleman from Boston was kind enough to tell me something about it.
He defended the use of "I guess" as a Shakespearian expression to be
found in _Richard the Third_. I have learned enough never to argue with
a Bostonian.

"All right," I said, "I've never heard a real American say 'I guess';
but what about the balance of your extraordinary tongue? Do you mean to
say that it has anything in common with ours except the auxiliary verbs,
the name of the Creator, and Damn? Listen to the men at the next table."

"They are Westerners," said the man from Boston, as who should say
"observe this cassowary." "They are Westerners, and if you w