第5章

At breakfast I encountered his ladies--his wife and daughter.They were placed, however, at a distance from me, and it was not until the pensionnaires had dispersed, and some of them, according to custom, had come out into the garden, that he had an opportunity of making me acquainted with them.

"Will you allow me to introduce you to my daughter?" he said, moved apparently by a paternal inclination to provide this young lady with social diversion.She was standing with her mother, in one of the paths, looking about with no great complacency, as I imagined, at the homely characteristics of the place, and old M.Pigeonneau was hovering near, hesitating apparently between the desire to be urbane and the absence of a pretext."Mrs.Ruck--Miss Sophy Ruck," said my friend, leading me up.

Mrs.Ruck was a large, plump, light-coloured person, with a smooth fair face, a somnolent eye, and an elaborate coiffure.Miss Sophy was a girl of one-and-twenty, very small and very pretty--what Isuppose would have been called a lively brunette.Both of these ladies were attired in black silk dresses, very much trimmed; they had an air of the highest elegance.

"Do you think highly of this pension?" inquired Mrs.Ruck, after a few preliminaries.

"It's a little rough, but it seems to me comfortable," I answered.

"Does it take a high rank in Geneva?" Mrs.Ruck pursued.

"I imagine it enjoys a very fair fame," I said, smiling.

"I should never dream of comparing it to a New York boarding-house,"said Mrs.Ruck.

"It's quite a different style," her daughter observed.

Miss Ruck had folded her arms; she was holding her elbows with a pair of white little hands, and she was tapping the ground with a pretty little foot.

"We hardly expected to come to a pension," said Mrs.Ruck."But we thought we would try; we had heard so much about Swiss pensions.Iwas saying to Mr.Ruck that I wondered whether this was a favourable specimen.I was afraid we might have made a mistake.""We knew some people who had been here; they thought everything of Madame Beaurepas," said Miss Sophy."They said she was a real friend.""Mr.and Mrs.Parker--perhaps you have heard her speak of them," Mrs.

Ruck pursued.

"Madame Beaurepas has had a great many Americans; she is very fond of Americans," I replied.

"Well, I must say I should think she would be, if she compares them with some others.""Mother is always comparing," observed Miss Ruck.

"Of course I am always comparing," rejoined the elder lady."I never had a chance till now; I never knew my privileges.Give me an American!" And Mrs.Ruck indulged in a little laugh.

"Well, I must say there are some things I like over here," said Miss Sophy, with courage.And indeed I could see that she was a young woman of great decision.

"You like the shops--that's what you like," her father affirmed.

The young lady addressed herself to me, without heeding this remark.

"I suppose you feel quite at home here."

"Oh, he likes it; he has got used to the life!" exclaimed Mr.Ruck.

"I wish you'd teach Mr.Ruck," said his wife."It seems as if he couldn't get used to anything.""I'm used to you, my dear," the husband retorted, giving me a humorous look.

"He's intensely restless," continued Mrs.Ruck.

"That's what made me want to come to a pension.I thought he would settle down more.""I don't think I AM used to you, after all," said her husband.

In view of a possible exchange of conjugal repartee I took refuge in conversation with Miss Ruck, who seemed perfectly able to play her part in any colloquy.I learned from this young lady that, with her parents, after visiting the British Islands, she had been spending a month in Paris, and that she thought she should have died when she left that city."I hung out of the carriage, when we left the hotel," said Miss Ruck, "I assure you I did.And mother did, too.""Out of the other window, I hope," said I.

"Yes, one out of each window," she replied promptly."Father had hard work, I can tell you.We hadn't half finished; there were ever so many places we wanted to go to.""Your father insisted on coming away?"

"Yes; after we had been there about a month he said he had enough.