spoke. But she had studied her few
words so long, and had made so sure of them, that she could not go very
far wrong. She assured her audience that the Baroness Banmann, whose
name had only to be mentioned to be honoured both throughout Europe and
America, had, at great personal inconvenience, come all the way from
Bavaria to give them the advantage of her vast experience on the
present occasion. Like a good chairwoman, she took none of the bread
out of the Baroness's mouth--as we have occasionally known it to be
done on such occasions--but confined herself to ecstatic praises of the
German lady. All these the Baroness bore without a quiver, and when
Aunt Ju sat down she stepped on to the rostrum of the evening amidst
the plaudits of the room, with a confidence which to Lady George was
miraculous. Then Aunt Ju took her seat, and was able for the next hour
and a half to occupy her arm-chair with gratifying faineant dignity.

The Baroness, to tell the truth, waddled rather than stepped to the
rostrum. She swung herself heavily about as she went sideways; but it
was manifest to all eyes that she was not in the least ashamed of her
waddling. She undid her manuscript on the desk, and flattened it down
all over with her great fat hand, rolling her head about as she looked
around, and then gave a grunt before she began. During this time the
audience was applauding her loudly, and it was evident that she did not
intend to lose a breath of their incense by any hurry on her own part.
At last the voices and the hands and the feet were silent. Then she
gave a last roll to her head and a last pat to the papers, and began.
"De manifest infairiority of de tyrant saix----."

Those first words, spoken in a very loud voice, came clearly home to
Lady George's ear, though they were uttered with a most un-English
accent. The Baroness paused before she completed her first sentence,
and then there was renewed applause. Lady George could remark that the
bald-headed old gentleman behind and a cadaverous youth who was near to
him were particularly energetic in stamping on the ground. Indeed, it
seemed that the men were specially charmed with this commencement of
the Baroness's oration. It was so good that she repeated it with,
perhaps, even a louder shout. "De manifest infairiority of de tyrant
saix----." Lady George, with considerable trouble, was able to follow
the first sentence or two, which went to assert that the inferiority of
man to wo