第17章

IfIwerenowimprisonedonamountainsummitahundredmilesnorthwardofthispoint，andwasdeniedatimepiece，I

couldgetalongwellenoughfromfourtillsixoncleardays，forIcouldkeeptraceofthetimebythechangingshapesofthesemightyshadowsoftheVirgin’sfront，themoststupendousdialI

amacquaintedwith，theoldestclockintheworldbyacoupleofmillionyears。

IsupposeIshouldnothavenoticedtheformsoftheshadowsifIhadn’tthehabitofhuntingforfacesinthecloudsandinmountaincragsasortofamusementwhichisveryentertainingevenwhenyoudon’tfindany，andbrilliantlysatisfyingwhenyoudo。IhavesearchedthroughseveralbushelsofphotographsoftheJungfrauhere，butfoundonlyonewiththeFaceinit，andinthiscaseitwasnotstrictlyrecognizableasaface，whichwasevidencethatthepicturewastakenbeforefouro’clockintheafternoon，andalsoevidencethatallthephotographershavepersistentlyoverlookedoneofthemostfascinatingfeaturesoftheJungfraushow。Isayfascinating，becauseifyouoncedetectahumanfaceproducedonagreatplanbyunconsciousnature，younevergettiredofwatchingit。Atfirstyoucan’tmakeanotherpersonseeitatall，butafterhehasmadeitoutoncehecan’tseeanythingelseafterward。

TheKingofGreeceisamanwhogoesaroundquietlyenoughwhenoffduty。Onedaythissummerhewastravelinginanordinaryfirstclasscompartment，justinhisothersuit，theonewhichheworkstherealminwhenheisathome，andsohewasnotlookinglikeanybodyinparticular，butagooddeallikeeverybodyingeneral。ByandbyaheartyandhealthyGerman

Americangotinandopenedupafrankandinterestingandsympatheticconversationwithhim，andaskedhimacoupleofthousandquestionsabouthimself，whichthekingansweredgood

naturedly，butinamoreorlessindefinitewayastoprivateparticulars。

"Wheredoyoulivewhenyouareathome？"

"InGreece。"

"Greece！Well，now，thatisjustastonishing！Bornthere？"

"No。"

"DoyouspeakGreek？"

"Yes。"

"Now，ain’tthatstrange！Ineverexpectedtolivetoseethat。Whatisyourtrade？Imeanhowdoyougetyourliving？

Whatisyourlineofbusiness？"

"Well，Ihardlyknowhowtoanswer。Iamonlyakindofforeman，onasalary;andthebusinesswell，isaverygeneralkindofbusiness。"

"Yes，Iunderstandgeneraljobbinglittleofeverything

anythingthatthere’smoneyin。"

"That’saboutit，yes。"

"Areyoutravelingforthehousenow？"

"Well，partly;butnotentirely。OfcourseIdoastrokeofbusinessifitfallsintheway"

"Good！Ilikethatinyou！That’smeeverytime。Goon。"

"IwasonlygoingtosayIamoffonmyvacationnow。"

"Wellthat’sallright。Noharminthat。Amanworksallthebetterforalittleletupnowandthen。NotthatI’vebeenusedtohavingitmyself;forIhaven’t。Ireckonthisismyfirst。IwasborninGermany，andwhenIwasacoupleofweeksoldshippedtoAmerica，andI’vebeenthereeversince，andthat’ssixtyfouryearsbythewatch。I’manAmericaninprincipleandaGermanatheart，andit’sthebosscombination。

Well，howdoyougetalong，asaruleprettyfair？"

"I’vearatherlargefamily"

"There，that’sitbigfamilyandtryingtoraisethemonasalary。Now，whatdidyougotodothatfor？"

"Well，Ithought"

"Ofcourseyoudid。Youwereyoungandconfidentandthoughtyoucouldbranchoutandmakethingsgowithawhirl，andhereyouare，yousee！Butnevermindaboutthat。I’mnottryingtodiscourageyou。Dearme！I’vebeenjustwhereyouaremyself！You’vegotgoodgrit;there’sgoodstuffinyou，Icanseethat。Yougotawrongstart，that’sthewholetrouble。Butyouholdyourgrip，andwe’llseewhatcanbedone。Yourcaseain’thalfasbadasitmightbe。YouaregoingtocomeoutallrightI’mbailforthat。Boysandgirls？"

"Myfamily？Yes，someofthemareboys"

"Andtherestgirls。It’sjustasIexpected。Butthat’sallright，andit’sbetterso，anyway。Whataretheboysdoing

learningatrade？"

"Well，noIthought"

"It’sabigmistake。It’sthebiggestmistakeyouevermade。Youseethatinyourowncase。Amanoughtalwaystohaveatradetofallbackon。Now，Iwasharnessmakeratfirst。DidthatpreventmefrombecomingoneofthebiggestbrewersinAmerica？Ohno。Ialwayshadtheharnesstricktofallbackoninroughweather。Now，ifyouhadlearnedhowtomakeharness

However，it’stoolatenow;toolate。Butit’snogoodplantocryoverspiltmilk。Butastotheboys，youseewhat’stobecomeofthemifanythinghappenstoyou？"

"Ithasbeenmyideatolettheeldestonesucceedme"

"Oh，come！Supposethefirmdon’twanthim？"

"Ihadn’tthoughtofthat，but"

"Now，lookhere;youwanttogetrightdowntobusinessandstopdreaming。Youarecapableofimmensethingsman。Youcanmakeaperfectsuccessinlife。Allyouwantissomebodytosteadyyouandboostyoualongontherightroad。Doyouownanythinginthebusiness？"

"Nonotexactly;butifIcontinuetogivesatisfaction，I

supposeIcankeepmy"

"Keepyourplaceyes。Well，don’tyoudependonanythingofthekind。They’llbounceyoutheminuteyougetalittleoldandworkedout;they’lldoitsure。Can’tyoumanagesomehowtogetintothefirm？That’sthegreatthing，youknow。"

"Ithinkitisdoubtful;verydoubtful。"

"Umthat’sbadyes，andunfair，too。DoyousupposethatifIshouldgothereandhaveatalkwithyourpeopleLookheredoyouthinkyoucouldrunabrewery？"

"Ihavenevertried，butIthinkIcoulddoitafteralittlefamiliaritywiththebusiness。"

TheGermanwassilentforsometime。Hedidagooddealofthinking，andthekingwaitedcuriouslytoseewhattheresultwasgoingtobe。FinallytheGermansaid:

"Mymind’smadeup。Youleavethatcrowdyou’llneveramounttoanythingthere。Intheseoldcountriestheynevergiveafellowashow。Yes，youcomeovertoAmericacometomyplaceinRochester;bringthefamilyalong。Youshallhaveashowinthebusinessandtheforemanship，besides。GeorgeyousaidyournamewasGeorge？I’llmakeamanofyou。Igiveyoumyword。

You’veneverhadachancehere，butthat’sallgoingtochange。

Bygracious！I’llgiveyoualiftthat’llmakeyourhaircurl！"

ATTHESHRINEOFST。WAGNER

Bayreuth，Aug。2d，1891

ItwasatNurembergthatwestrucktheinundationofmusic

madstrangersthatwasrollingdownuponBayreuth。Ithadbeenlongsincewehadseensuchmultitudesofexcitedandstrugglingpeople。IttookagoodhalfhourtopackthemandpairthemintothetrainanditwasthelongesttrainwehaveyetseeninEurope。Nuremberghadbeenwitnessingthissortofexperienceacoupleoftimesadayforabouttwoweeks。Itgivesoneanimpressivesenseofthemagnitudeofthisbiennialpilgrimage。

Forapilgrimageiswhatitis。ThedevoteescomefromtheveryendsoftheearthtoworshiptheirprophetinhisownKaabainhisownMecca。

IfyouarelivinginNewYorkorSanFranciscoorChicagooranywhereelseinAmerica，andyouconclude，bythemiddleofMay，thatyouwouldliketoattendtheBayreuthoperatwomonthsandahalflater，youmustusethecableandgetaboutitimmediatelyoryouwillgetnoseats，andyoumustcableforlodgings，too。

Thenifyouareluckyyouwillgetseatsinthelastrowandlodgingsinthefringeofthetown。Ifyoustoptowriteyouwillgetnothing。TherewereplentyofpeopleinNurembergwhenwepassedthroughwhohadcomeonpilgrimagewithoutfirstsecuringseatsandlodgings。TheyhadfoundneitherinBayreuth;

theyhadwalkedBayreuthstreetsawhileinsorrow，thenhadgonetoNurembergandfoundneitherbedsnorstandingroom，andhadwalkedthosequaintstreetsallnight，waitingforthehotelstoopenandemptytheirguestsintotrains，andsomakeroomforthese，theirdefeatedbrethrenandsistersinthefaith。Theyhadenduredfromthirtytofortyhours’railroadingonthecontinentofEuropewithallwhichthatimpliesofworry，fatigue，andfinancialimpoverishmentandalltheyhadgotandalltheyweretogetforitwashandinessandaccuracyinkickingthemselves，acquiredbypracticeinthebackstreetsofthetwotownswhenotherpeoplewereinbed;forbacktheymustgooverthatunspeakablejourneywiththeirpiousmissionunfulfilled。

Thesehumiliatedoutcastshadthefrowsyandunbrushedandapologeticlookofwetcats，andtheireyeswereglazedwithdrowsiness，theirbodieswereadroopfromcrowntosole，andallkindheartedpeoplerefrainedfromaskingthemiftheyhadbeentoBayreuthandfailedtoconnect，asknowingtheywouldlie。

Wereachedhere（Bayreuth）aboutmidafternoonofarainySaturday。Wewereofthewise，andhadsecuredlodgingsandoperaseatsmonthsinadvance。

Iamnotamusicalcritic，anddidnotcomeheretowriteessaysabouttheoperasanddeliverjudgmentupontheirmerits。

ThelittlechildrenofBayreuthcoulddothatwithafinersympathyandabroaderintelligencethanI。Ionlycaretobringfourorfivepilgrimstotheoperas，pilgrimsabletoappreciatethemandenjoythem。WhatIwriteabouttheperformancetoputinmyoddtimewouldbeofferedtothepublicasmerelyacat’sviewofaking，andnotofdidacticvalue。

Nextday，whichwasSunday，weleftfortheoperahouse

thatistosay，theWagnertemplealittleafterthemiddleoftheafternoon。Thegreatbuildingstandsallbyitself，grandandlonely，onahighgroundoutsidethetown。Wewerewarnedthatifwearrivedafterfouro’clockweshouldbeobligedtopaytwodollarsandahalfextrabywayoffine。Wesavedthat;anditmayberemarkedherethatthisistheonlyopportunitythatEuropeoffersofsavingmoney。Therewasabigcrowdinthegroundsaboutthebuilding，andtheladies’dressestookthesunwithfineeffect。Idonotmeantointimatethattheladieswereinfulldress，forthatwasnotso。Thedresseswerepretty，butneithersexwasineveningdress。

Theinteriorofthebuildingissimpleseverelyso;butthereisnooccasionforcoloranddecoration，sincethepeoplesitinthedark。Theauditoriumhastheshapeofakeystone，withthestageatthenarrowend。Thereisanaisleoneachside，butnoaisleinthebodyofthehouse。Eachrowofseatsextendsinanunbrokencurvefromonesideofthehousetotheother。Therearesevenentrancedoorsoneachsideofthetheaterandfouratthebutt，eighteendoorstoadmitandemit1，650persons。Thenumberoftheparticulardoorbywhichyouaretoenterthehouseorleaveitisprintedonyourticket，andyoucanusenodoorbutthatone。Thus，crowdingandconfusionareimpossible。Notsomanyasahundredpeopleuseanyonedoor。Thisisbetterthanhavingtheusual（anduseless）

elaboratefireproofarrangements。Itisthemodeltheateroftheworld。Itcanbeemptiedwhilethesecondhandofawatchmakesitscircuit。Itwouldbeentirelysafe，evenifitwerebuiltoflucifermatches。

Ifyourseatisnearthecenterofarowandyouenterlateyoumustworkyourwayalongarankofabouttwentyfiveladiesandgentlementogettoit。Yetthiscausesnotrouble，foreverybodystandsupuntilalltheseatsarefull，andthefillingisaccomplishedinaveryfewminutes。Thenallsitdown，andyouhaveasolidmassoffifteenhundredheads，makingasteepcellardoorslantfromtherearofthehousedowntothestage。

Allthelightswereturnedlow，solowthatthecongregationsatinadeepandsolemngloom。Thefunerealrustlingofdressesandthelowbuzzofconversationbegantodieswiftlydown，andpresentlynottheghostofasoundwasleft。Thisprofoundandincreasinglyimpressivestillnessenduredforsometimethebestpreparationformusic，spectacle，orspeechconceivable。Ishouldthinkourshowpeoplewouldhaveinventedorimportedthatsimpleandimpressivedeviceforsecuringandsolidifyingtheattentionofanaudiencelongago;insteadofwhichtherecontinuetothisdaytoopenaperformanceagainstadeadlycompetitionintheformofnoise，confusion，andascatteredinterest。

Finally，outofdarknessanddistanceandmysterysoftrichnotesroseuponthestillness，andfromhisgravethedeadmagicianbegantoweavehisspellsabouthisdisciplesandsteeptheirsoulsinhisenchantments。Therewassomethingstrangelyimpressiveinthefancywhichkeptintrudingitselfthatthecomposerwasconsciousinhisgraveofwhatwasgoingonhere，andthatthesedivinesoulsweretheclothingofthoughtswhichwereatthismomentpassingthroughhisbrain，andnotrecognizedandfamiliaroneswhichhadissuedfromitatsomeformertime。

Theentireoverture，longasitwas，wasplayedtoadarkhousewiththecurtaindown。Itwasexquisite;itwasdelicious。

Butstraightwaythereafter，orcourse，camethesinging，anditdoesseemtomethatnothingcanmakeaWagneroperaabsolutelyperfectandsatisfactorytotheuntutoredbuttoleaveoutthevocalparts。IwishIcouldseeaWagneroperadoneinpantomimeonce。Thenonewouldhavethelovelyorchestrationunvexedtolistentoandbathehisspiritin，andthebewilderingbeautifulscenerytointoxicatehiseyeswith，andthedumbactingcouldn’tmarthesepleasures，becausethereisn’toftenanythingintheWagneroperathatonewouldcallbysuchaviolentnameasacting;asaruleallyouwouldseewouldbeacoupleofsilentpeople，oneofthemstandingstill，theothercatchingflies。OfcourseIdonotreallymeanthathewouldbecatchingflies;I

onlymeanthattheusualoperaticgestureswhichconsistinreachingfirstonehandoutintotheairandthentheothermightsuggestthesportIspeakofiftheoperatorattendedstrictlytobusinessandutterednosound。

Thispresentoperawas"Parsifal。"MadameWagnerdoesnotpermititsrepresentationanywherebutinBayreuth。Thefirstactofthethreeoccupiedtwohours，andIenjoyedthatinspiteofthesinging。

ItrustthatIknowaswellasanybodythatsingingisoneofthemostentrancingandbewitchingandmovingandeloquentofallthevehiclesinventedbymanfortheconveyingoffeeling;

butitseemstomethatthechiefvirtueinsongismelody，air，tune，rhythm，orwhatyoupleasetocallit，andthatwhenthisfeatureisabsentwhatremainsisapicturewiththecolorleftout。Iwasnotabletodetectinthevocalpartsof"Parsifal"

anythingthatmightwithconfidencebecalledrhythmortuneormelody;onepersonperformedatatimeandalongtime，too

ofteninanoble，andalwaysinahightoned，voice;butheonlypulledoutlongnotes，thensomeshortones，thenanotherlongone，thenasharp，quick，peremptorybarkortwoandsoonandsoon;andwhenhewasdoneyousawthattheinformationwhichhehadconveyedhadnotcompensatedforthedisturbance。Notalways，butprettyoften。Iftwoofthemwouldbutputinaduetoccasionallyandblendthevoices;butno，theydon’tdothat。

Thegreatmaster，whoknewsowellhowtomakeahundredinstrumentsrejoiceinunisonandpourouttheirsoulsinmingledandmelodioustidesofdelicioussound，dealsonlyinbarrensoloswhenheputsinthevocalparts。Itmaybethathewasdeep，andonlyaddedthesingingtohisoperasforthesakeofthecontrastitwouldmakewiththemusic。Singing！Itdoesseemthewrongnametoapplytoit。Strictlydescribed，itisapracticingofdifficultandunpleasantintervals，mainly。Anignorantpersongetstiredoflisteningtogymnasticintervalsinthelongrun，nomatterhowpleasanttheymaybe。In"Parsifal"

thereisahermitnamedGurnemanzwhostandsonthestageinonespotandpracticesbythehour，whilefirstoneandthenanothercharacterofthecastendureswhathecanofitandthenretirestodie。

Duringtheeveningtherewasanintermissionofthree

quartersofanhourafterthefirstactandoneanhourlongafterthesecond。Inbothinstancesthetheaterwastotallyemptied。Peoplewhohadpreviouslyengagedtablesintheonesoleeatinghousewereabletoputintheirtimeverysatisfactorily;theotherthousandwenthungry。Theoperawasconcludedattenintheeveningoralittlelater。Whenwereachedhomewehadbeengonemorethansevenhours。Sevenhoursatfivedollarsaticketisalmosttoomuchforthemoney。

WhilebrowsingaboutthefrontyardamongthecrowdbetweentheactsIencounteredtwelveorfifteenfriendsfromdifferentpartsofAmerica，andthoseofthemwhoweremostfamiliarwithWagnersaidthat"Parsifal"seldompleasedatfirst，butthatafteronehadhearditseveraltimesitwasalmostsuretobecomeafavorite。Itseemedimpossible，butitwastrue，forthestatementcamefrompeoplewhosewordwasnottobedoubted。

AndIgatheredsomefurtherinformation。OnthegroundI

foundpartofaGermanmusicalmagazine，andinitaletterwrittenbyUhlicthirtythreeyearsago，inwhichhedefendsthescornedandabusedWagneragainstpeoplelikeme，whofoundfaultwiththecomprehensiveabsenceofwhatourkindregardsassinging。UhlicsaysWagnerdespised"JENEPLAPPERUDEMUSIC，"andtherefore"runs，trills，andSCHNORKELarediscardedbyhim。"I

don’tknowwhataSCHNORKELis，butnowthatIknowithasbeenleftoutoftheseoperasIneverhavemissedsomuchinmylife。

AndUhlicfurthersaysthatWagner’ssongistrue:thatitis"simplyemphasizedintonedspeech。"Thatcertainlydescribesitin"Parsifal"andsomeoftheoperas;andifIunderstandUhlic’selaborateGermanheapologizesforthebeautifulairsin"Tannh:auser。"Verywell;nowthatWagnerandIunderstandeachother，perhapsweshallgetalongbetter，andIshallstopcallingWaggner，ontheAmericanplan，andthereaftercallhimWaggnerasperGermancustom，forIfeelentirelyfriendlynow。

Theminutewegetreconciledtoaperson，howwillingwearetothrowasidelittleneedlesspuctiliosandpronouncehisnameright！

OfcourseIcamehomewonderingwhypeopleshouldcomefromallcornersofAmericatoheartheseoperas，whenwehavelatelyhadaseasonortwooftheminNewYorkwiththesesamesingersintheseveralparts，andpossiblythissameorchestra。I

resolvedtothinkthatoutatallhazards。

TUESDAY。YesterdaytheyplayedtheonlyoperaticfavoriteI

haveeverhadanoperawhichhasalwaysdrivenmemadwithignorantdelightwheneverIhaveheardit"Tannh:auser。"I

hearditfirstwhenIwasayouth;IhearditlastinthelastGermanseasoninNewYork。IwasbusyyesterdayandIdidnotintendtogo，knowingIshouldhaveanother"Tannh:auser"

opportunityinafewdays;butafterfiveo’clockIfoundmyselffreeandwalkedouttotheoperahouseandarrivedaboutthebeginningofthesecondact。Myoperaticketadmittedmetothegroundsinfront，pastthepolicemanandthechain，andIthoughtIwouldtakearestonabenchforanhourandtwoandwaitforthethirdact。

Inamomentorsothefirstbuglesblew，andthemultitudebegantocrumbleapartandmeltintothetheater。Iwillexplainthatthisbuglecallisoneoftheprettyfeatureshere。Yousee，thetheaterisempty，andhundredsoftheaudienceareagoodwayoffinthefeedinghouse;thefirstbuglecallisblownaboutaquarterofanhourbeforetimeforthecurtaintorise。

Thiscompanyofbuglers，inuniform，marchoutwithmilitarystepandsendoutoverthelandscapeafewbarsofthethemeoftheapproachingact，piercingthedistanceswiththegraciousnotes;

thentheymarchtotheotherentranceandrepeat。Presentlytheydothisoveragain。Yesterdayonlyabouttwohundredpeoplewerestillleftinfrontofthehousewhenthesecondcallwasblown;

inanotherhalfminutetheywouldhavebeeninthehouse，butthenathinghappenedwhichdelayedthemtheonlysolitarythinginthisworldwhichcouldbereliedonwithcertaintytoaccomplishit，Isupposeanimperialprincessappearedinthebalconyabovethem。Theystoppeddeadintheirtracksandbegantogazeinastuporofgratitudeandsatisfaction。Theladypresentlysawthatshemustdisappearorthedoorswouldbeclosedupontheseworshipers，soshereturnedtoherbox。Thisdaughterinlawofanemperorwaspretty;shehadakindface;

shewaswithoutairs;sheisknowntobefullofcommonhumansympathies。Therearemanykindsofprincesses，butthiskindisthemostharmfulofall，forwherevertheygotheyreconcilepeopletomonarchyandsetbacktheclockofprogress。Thevaluableprinces，thedesirableprinces，aretheczarsandtheirsort。Bytheirmeredumbpresenceintheworldtheycoverwithderisioneveryargumentthatcanbeinventedinfavorofroyaltybythemostingeniouscasuist。Inhistimethehusbandofthisprincesswasvaluable。Heledadegradedlife，heendeditwithhisownhandincircumstancesandsurroundingsofahideoussort，andwasburiedlikeagod。

Intheoperahousethereisalongloftbackoftheaudience，akindofopengallery，inwhichprincesaredisplayed。

Itissacredtothem;itistheholyofholies。Assoonasthefillingofthehouseisaboutcompletethestandingmultitudeturnandfixtheireyesupontheprincelylayoutandgazemutelyandlonginglyandadoringlyandregretfullylikesinnerslookingintoheaven。Theybecomerapt，unconscious，steepedinworship。

Thereisnospectacleanywherethatismorepatheticthanthis。

Itisworthcrossingmanyoceanstosee。ItissomehownotthesamegazethatpeoplerivetuponaVictorHugo，orNiagara，orthebonesofthemastodon，ortheguillotineoftheRevolution，orthegreatpyramid，ordistantVesuviussmokinginthesky，oranymanlongcelebratedtoyoubyhisgeniusandachievements，orthinglongcelebratedtoyoubythepraisesofbooksandpicturesno，thatgazeisonlythegazeofintensecuriosity，interest，wonder，engagedindrinkingdeliciousdeepdraughtsthattastegoodallthewaydownandappeaseandsatisfythethirstofalifetime。Satisfyitthatistheword。Hugoandthemastodonwillstillhaveadegreeofintenseinterestthereafterwhenencountered，butneveranythingapproachingtheecstasyofthatfirstview。Theinterestofaprinceisdifferent。Itmaybeenvy，itmaybeworship，doubtlessitisamixtureofbothanditdoesnotsatisfyitsthirstwithoneview，orevennoticeablydiminishit。Perhapstheessenceofthethingisthevaluewhichmenattachtoavaluablesomethingwhichhascomebyluckandnotbeenearned。Adollarpickedupintheroadismoresatisfactiontoyouthantheninetyandninewhichyouhadtoworkfor，andmoneywonatfaroorinstockssnugglesintoyourheartinthesameway。Aprincepicksupgrandeur，power，andapermanentholidayandgratissupportbyapureaccident，theaccidentofbirth，andhestandsalwaysbeforethegrievedeyeofpovertyandobscurityamonumentalrepresentativeofluck。Andthensupremestvalueofallhisistheonlyhighfortuneontheearthwhichissecure。Thecommercialmillionairemaybecomeabeggar;theillustriousstatesmancanmakeavitalmistakeandbedroppedandforgotten;theillustriousgeneralcanloseadecisivebattleandwithittheconsiderationofmen;butonceaprincealwaysaprincethatistosay，animitationgod，andneitherhardfortunenoraninfamouscharacternoranaddledbrainnorthespeechofanasscanundeifyhim。Bycommonconsentofallthenationsandalltheagesthemostvaluablethinginthisworldisthehomageofmen，whetherdeservedorundeserved。Itfollowswithoutdoubtorquestion，then，thatthemostdesirablepositionpossibleisthatofaprince。AndI

thinkitalsofollowsthatthesocalledusurpationswithwhichhistoryislitteredarethemostexcusablemisdemeanorswhichmenhavecommitted。Tousurpausurpationthatisallitamountsto，isn’tit？

AprinceisnottouswhatheistoaEuropean，ofcourse。

Wehavenotbeentaughttoregardhimasagod，andsoonegoodlookathimislikelytosonearlyappeaseourcuriosityastomakehimanobjectofnogreaterinterestthenexttime。Wewantafreshone。ButitisnotsowiththeEuropean。Iamquitesureofit。Thesameoldonewillanswer;heneverstales。

EighteenyearsagoIwasinLondonandIcalledatanEnglishman’shouseonableakandfoggyanddismalDecemberafternoontovisithiswifeandmarrieddaughterbyappointment。

Iwaitedhalfanhourandthentheyarrived，frozen。Theyexplainedthattheyhadbeendelayedbyanunlookedforcircumstance:whilepassingintheneighborhoodofMarlboroughHousetheysawacrowdgatheringandweretoldthatthePrinceofWaleswasabouttodriveout，sotheystoppedtogetasightofhim。Theyhadwaitedhalfanhouronthesidewalk，freezingwiththecrowd，butweredisappointedatlastthePrincehadchangedhismind。Isaid，withagooddealofsurprise，"IsitpossiblethatyoutwohavelivedinLondonallyourlivesandhaveneverseenthePrinceofWales？"