ut two words together,
except as they are put together for us in Meisterschaft or that idiotic
Ollendorff! (Refers to book, and memorises: Mein Bruder hat Ihren
Herrn Vater nicht gesehen, als er gestern in dem Laden des deutschen
Kaufmannes war.) Yes, we can have society, provided we talk German. What
would conversation be like! If you should stick to Meisterschaft,
it would change the subject every two minutes; and if you stuck to
Ollendorff, it would be all about your sister's mother's good stocking
of thread, or your grandfather's aunt's good hammer of the carpenter,
and who's got it, and there an end. You couldn't keep up your interest
in such topics. (Memorising: Wenn irgend moglich--mochte ich noch heute
Vormittag Geschaftsfreunde zu treffen.) My mind is made up to one thing:
I will be an exile, in spirit and in truth: I will see no one during
these three months. Father is very ingenious--oh, very! thinks he is,
anyway. Thinks he has invented a way to force us to learn to speak
German. He is a dear good soul, and all that; but invention isn't his
fach'. He will see. (With eloquent energy.) Why, nothing in the world
shall--Bitte, konnen Sie mir vielleicht sagen, ob Herr Schmidt mit
diesem Zuge angekommen ist? Oh, dear, dear George--three weeks! It seems
a whole century since I saw him. I wonder if he suspects that I--that
I--care for him--j-just a wee, wee bit? I believe he does. And I believe
Will suspects that Annie cares for him a little, that I do. And I know
perfectly well that they care for us. They agree with all our opinions,
no matter what they are; and if they have a prejudice, they change it,
as soon as they see how foolish it is. Dear George! at first he just
couldn't abide cats; but now, why now he's just all for cats; he fairly
welters in cats. I never saw such a reform. And it's just so with all
his principles: he hasn't got one that he had before. Ah, if all men
were like him, this world would--(Memorising: Im Gegentheil, mein Herr,
dieser Stoff ist sehr billig. Bitte, sehen Sie sich nur die Qualitat
an.) Yes, and what did they go to studying German for, if it wasn't an
inspiration of the highest and purest sympathy? Any other explanation is
nonsense--why, they'd as soon have thought of studying American history.

(Turns her back, buries herself in her pamphlet, first memorising aloud,
until Annie enters, then to herself, rocking to and fro, and rapidly
moving her lips, without uttering a sound.)