sing national need, Sir, and I
have long cherished the intention of supplying it. I am collecting
material, and, when the psychological moment arrives, I shall write
that novel. And I believe it will be a big thing, a very big thing; I
mean to make it a complete compendium of every phase of our great and
complicated civilisation from State to State and from shore to shore.
[CULCHARD _bows vaguely._

_Miss T._ Yes, and the great Amurrcan public are going to rise up in
their millions and boom it. Only I don't believe they'd better start
booming just yet, till there's something more than covers to that
novel. And how you're going to collect material for an Amurrcan novel,
flying round Europe, just beats _me_!

_Mr. V.B._ (_with superiority_). Because you don't realise that
it's precisely in Europe that I find my best American types. Our
citizens show up better against a European background,--it excites
and stimulates their nationality, so to speak. And again, with a big
subject like mine, you want to step back to get the proper focus. Now
I'm _stepping_ back.

_Miss T._ I guess it's more like skipping, CHARLEY. But so long as
you're having a good time! And here's Mr. CULCHARD will fix you up
some sonnets for headings to the chapters. You needn't begin _right_
away, Mr. CULCHARD; I guess there's no hurry. But we get talking and
_talking_, and never look at anything. I don't call it encouraging the
scenery, and that's a fact!

_Mr. T._ (_later, to CULCHARD_). And you're pretty comfortable at your
hotel? Well, I dunno, after all, what there is to keep _us_ here. I
guess we'll go down again and stop at Lugano, eh, MAUD?

[_CULCHARD eagerly awaits her reply._

_Miss T._ I declare! After bringing all my trunks way up here! But
I'd just as soon move down as not; they're not unpacked any. (_Joy of
C._) Seems a pity, too, after engaging rooms here. And they looked real
nice. Mr. CULCHARD, don't you and Mr. PODBURY want to come up here and
take them? They've a perfectly splendid view, and then we could have
yours, you know! (_C. cannot conceal his chagrin at this suggestion._)
Well, see here, Poppa, we'll go along and try if we can't square the
hotel-clerk and get our baggage on the cars again, and then we'll see
just how we feel about it. I'm perfectly indifferent either way.

_Culch._ (_to himself, as he follows_). Can she be really as
indifferent as she seems? I'm afraid she has very little heart! But
if only she can