said that this is a little altered now, and that
European views on this subject are spreading themselves. Our two
ladies, however, who were pretty, clever-looking, and attractive even
after the night's journey, were manifestly more impressed with the
villainy of the French officials than they were with the kindness of
their English neighbours.

"And nothing can be done to punish them?" said the younger of them to
Mr. Glascock.

"Nothing, I should think," said he. "Nothing will, at any rate."

"And you will not get back your money?" said the elder,--who, though
the elder, was probably not much above twenty.

"Well;--no. Time is money, they say. It would take thrice the value
of the time in money, and then one would probably fail. They have
done very well for us, and I suppose there are difficulties."

"It couldn't have taken place in our country," said the younger lady.
"All the same, we are very much obliged to you. It would not have
been nice for us to have to go up into the banquette."

"They would have put you into the interior."

"And that would have been worse. I hate being put anywhere,--as if I
were a sheep. It seems so odd to us, that you here should be all so
tame."

"Do you mean the English or the French, or the world in general on
this side of the Atlantic?"

"We mean Europeans," said the younger lady, who was better after
her breakfast. "But then we think that the French have something
of compensation, in their manners, and their ways of life, their
climate, the beauty of their cities, and their general management of
things."

"They are very great in many ways, no doubt," said Mr. Glascock.

"They do understand living better than you do," said the elder.

"Everything is so much brighter with them," said the younger.

"They contrive to give a grace to every-day existence," said the
elder.

"There is such a welcome among them for strangers," said the younger.

"Particularly in reference to places taken in the coupe," said
Trevelyan, who had hardly spoken before.

"Ah, that is an affair of honesty," said the elder. "If we want
honesty, I believe we must go back to the stars and stripes."

Mr. Glascock looked up from his plate almost aghast. He said nothing,
however, but called for the waiter, and paid for his breakfast.
Nevertheless, there was a considerable amount of travelling
friendship engendered between the ladies and our two friends
before the diligence had left the railway yard. The