were told to wait till notice should be given
us of something else to be done. Our train would not depart till nine in
the evening.

As usual, I noticed all the little particulars of the waiting room. What
else could I do with so much time and not even a book to read? I could
describe it exactly--the large, square room, painted walls, long tables
with fruits and drinks of all kinds covering them, the white chairs,
carved settees, beautiful china and cut glass showing through the glass
doors of the dressers, and the nickel samovar, which attracted my
attention because I had never seen any but copper or brass ones. The
best and the worst of everything there was a large case full of books.
It was the best, because they were "books" and all could use them; the
worst, because they were all German, and my studies in the railway depot
of Keebart had not taught me so much that I should be able to read books
in German. It was very hard to see people get those books and enjoy them
while I couldn't. It was impossible to be content with other people's
pleasure, and I wasn't.

When I had almost finished counting the books, I noticed that mamma and
the others had made friends with a family of travellers like ourselves.
Frau Gittleman and her five children made very interesting companions
for the rest of the day, and they seemed to think that Frau Antin and
the four younger Antins were just as interesting; perhaps excepting, in
their minds, one of them who must have appeared rather uninteresting
from a habit she had of looking about as if always expecting to make
discoveries.

But she was interested, if not interesting, enough when the oldest of
the young Gittlemans, who was a young gentleman of seventeen, produced
some books which she could read. Then all had a merry time together,
reading, talking, telling the various adventures of the journey, and
walking, as far as we were allowed, up and down the long platform
outside, till we were called to go and see, if we wanted to see, how our
things were being made fit for further travel. It was interesting to see
how they managed to have anything left to return to us, after all the
processes of airing and smoking and steaming and other assaults on
supposed germs of the dreaded cholera had been done with, the pillows,
even, being ripped open to be steamed! All this was interesting, but we
were rather disagreeably surprised when a bill for these unasked-for
services had to be paid.

The