r Europe and America--all civilized people--to be one country. He
is the comrade of his boys. Out of school hours, it is Christian names
all round--Matthew, Emile, Adolf, Emilio, Giulio, Robert, Marcel, Franz,
et caetera. Games or lessons, a boy can't help learning with him. He
makes happy fellows and brave soldiers of them without drill. Sir, do I
presume when I say I have your excuse for addressing you because you are
his countryman? I drive to the old school in half an hour, and next week
he and his dear wife and a good half of the boys will be on the tramp
over the Simplon, by Lago Maggiore, to my uncle's house in Milan for a
halt. I go to Matthew before I see my own people.'

He swept another bow of apology, chiefly to Philippa, as representative
of the sex claiming homage.

Lord Ormont had not greatly relished certain of the flowery phrases
employed by this young foreigner. 'Truth his bride,' was damnable: and if
a story had to be told, he liked it plain, without jerks and evolutions.
Many offences to our taste have to be overlooked in foreigners--Italians!
considered, before they were proved in fire, a people classed by nature
as operatic declaimers. Bobby had shown himself on the road out to Bern a
difficult boy, and stupefyingly ignorant. My lord had two or three ideas
working to cloudy combination in his head when he put a question,
referring to the management of the dormitories at the school. Whereupon
the young Italian introduced himself as Giulio Calliani, and proposed a
drive to inspect the old school, with its cricket and football fields,
lake for rowing and swimming, gymnastic fixtures, carpenter's shed,
bowling alley, and four European languages in the air by turns daily; and
the boys, too, all the boys rosy and jolly, according to the last report
received of them from his friend Matthew. Enthusiasm struck and tightened
the loose chord of scepticism in Lord Ormont; somewhat as if a dancing
beggar had entered a kennel-dog's yard, designing to fascinate the
faithful beast. It is a chord of one note, that is tightened to sound by
the violent summons to accept, which is a provocation to deny. At the
same time, the enthusiast's dance is rather funny; he is not an ordinary
beggar; to see him trip himself in his dance would be rather funnier.
This is to say, inspect the trumpeted school and retire politely. My lord
knew the Bern of frequent visits: the woman was needed beside him to
inspire a feeling for sceni