s protruding, while the struggle to get into clothes was
going on.

A frightful thing happened to poor Agnes. Tom's valet, who took our
tickets, did not get enough, not understanding the ways, and Tom and
the senator and the Vicomte had tossed up which two were to have the
drawing-room, and Tom lost; so when Hopkins, who is a timid creature,
found a berth did not mean a section, he of course gave up his without
saying anything to Tom, and as the conductor told him there was not
another on the train he wandered along and at last came to Agnes's. She
had a lower berth next our door, and was away undressing me. Hopkins
says he thought it was an unoccupied one the conductor had overlooked,
so he took it, and when Agnes got back and crawled in in the dark she
found him there!! There was a dreadful scene!! We heard Hopkins scream,
and I believe he ran for his life, and no one knows where he slept.

Agnes said it was too ridiculous and "_tres mauvais gout_" on his part
to make such a fuss over "_un petit accident de voyage." "Je puis
assurer Madame la Marquise_," she said, "_que s'il etait reste c'eut
ete la meme chose. Son type ne me dit rien_!" At the same time she does
not think these trains "_comme il faut_!"

We were just in time for an early breakfast when we arrived at this
hotel, and the quaintest coloured gentlemen waited on us; they were
rather aged, and had a shambling way of dragging their feet, but the
most sympathetic manners, just suited to the four honeymoon pairs who
were seated at little tables round. That was a curious coincidence,
wasn't it, Mamma, to find four pairs in one hotel in that state. None
of the bridegrooms were over twenty-five, and the brides varied from
about eighteen to twenty-eight; we got the senator to ask about them,
and one lot had been married a week, and they each read a paper propped
up against their cups, and did not speak much, and you would have
thought they were quite indifferent; but from where I sat I could see
their right and left hands clasped under the table! Another pair with a
dour Scotch look ate an enormous meal in solemn silence, and then they
went off and played tennis! Their wedding took place three days ago!!
The third had been there a fortnight, and seemed very jaded and bored,
while the last were mere children, and only married yesterday! She was
too sweet, and got crimson when she poured out his tea, and asked him if
he took sugar? I suppose up till now they had