laughed the Baron again; he had come prepared to laugh, and
carried out his intention religiously. "But you do not feel more old and
sober, eh?"

"I don't want to, but no man can avoid his destiny. The natives of this
island are a serious people, or if they are frivolous, it is generally a
trifle vulgarly done. The diversions of the professedly gay-hooting
over pointless badinage and speculating whose turn it is to get divorced
next--become in time even more sobering than a scientific study with
diagrams of how to breed pheasants or play golf. If some one would teach
us the simple art of being light-hearted he would deserve to be placed
along with Nelson on his monument."

"Oh, my dear vellow!" cried the Baron. "Do I hear zese kind of vords
from you?"

"If you starved a city-full of people, wouldn't you expect to hear the
man with the biggest appetite cry loudest?"

The Baron's face fell further and Essington laughed aloud.

"Come, Baron, hang it! You of all people should be delighted to see me
a fellow-member of respectable society. I take you to be the type of the
conventional aristocrat. Why, a fellow who's been travelling in Germany
said to me lately, when I asked about you--'Von Blitzenberg,' said he,
'he's used as a simile for traditional dignity. His very dogs have to
sit up on their hind-legs when he inspects the kennels!'"

The Baron with a solemn face gulped down his whisky-and-soda.

"Zat is not true about my dogs," he replied, "but I do confess my life
is vary dignified. So moch is expected of a Blitzenberg. Oh, ja, zere is
moch state and ceremony."

"And you seem to thrive on it."

"Vell, it does not destroy ze appetite," the Baron admitted; "and it
is my duty so to live at Fogelschloss, and I alvays vish to do my duty.
But, ach, sometimes I do vant to kick ze trace!"

"You mean you would want to if it were not for the Baroness?"

Bunker smiled whimsically; but his friend continued as simply serious as
ever.

"Alicia is ze most divine woman in ze world--I respect her, Bonker, I
love her, I gonsider her my better angel; but even in Heaven, I suppose,
peoples sometimes vould enjoy a stroll in Piccadeelly, or in some vay
to exercise ze legs and shout mit excitement. No doubt you zink it
unaccountable and strange--pairhaps ungrateful of me, eh?"

"On the contrary, I feel as I should if I feared this cigar had gone out
and then found it alight after all."

"You say so! Ah, zen I will have more