"Are you aware that your actions are very annoying?"
"How, sir?" proudly.
"You stare me out of countenance, you refrain from entering into
conversation, and by the way you follow me in and out of the carriage,
one would say that you were watching me. All this is not common
politeness."
"Herr jests," he replied with a forced smile. "If I desire not to
converse, that is my business. As for getting in and out of the
carriage, have I no rights as a passenger?"
It was I who subsided. A minute passed.
"But why do you stare at me?" I asked.
"I do not stare at you, I have no paper and tried to read yours at a
distance. I am willing to apologize for that."
"Oh, that is different," I said. I tossed the paper to him. "You are
welcome to the paper."
I covertly watched him as he tried to read the French. By and by he
passed the paper back.
"I am not a very good French scholar, and the French are tiresome."
"They would not have been if they had had a General who thought more of
fighting than of wearing pretty clothes."
"Oh, it would not have mattered," confidently.
"Prussia was once humbled by a Frenchman." I was irritating him with a
purpose in view.
"Bah!"
"The only reason the French were beaten was because they did not think
the German race worth troubling about."
He laughed pleasantly. "You Americans have a strange idea of the
difference between the German and the Frenchman."
This was just what I wanted.
"And who informed you that I was an American?"
He was disconcerted.
"Why," he said, lamely, "it is easily apparent, the difference between
the American and the Englishman." Then, as though a bright idea had
come to him, "The English never engage in conversation with strangers
while traveling. Americans are more sociable."
"They are? Then I advise them to follow the example set by the
Englishman: Never try to get up a conversation while traveling with a
German. It is a disagreeable task;" and I settled back behind my paper.
How had he found out that I was an American? Was I known? And for
what reason was I known? To my knowledge I had never committed any
offence to the extent that I must be watched like a suspect. What his
object was and how he came to know that I was an American was a mystery
to me. I was glad that the journey would last but an hour or so
longer. The train arrived at the capital late at night. As I went to
inquire about my luggage I saw my late fellow passenger joined by
another officer. The two began talking earnestly, giving me occasional
side-long glances. The mystery was deepening. In passing them I
caught words which sounded like "under another name" and "positive it
is he." This was anything but reassuring to me. At length they
disappeared, only to meet me outside the station. It got into my head
that I was a marked man. A feeling of discomfort took possession of
me. Germans are troublesome when they get an idea. I was glad to get
into the carriage which was to take me to my hotel. The driver seemed
to have some difficulty in starting the horse, but I gave this no
attention. When the vehicle did start it was with a rapidity which
alarmed me. Corner after corner was turned, and the lights went by in
flashes. It was taking a long time to reach my hotel, I thought.
Suddenly it dawned upon me that the direction we were going was
contrary to my instructions. I tried to open the window, but it
refused to move. Then I hammered on the pane, but the driver was deaf,
or purposely so.