‘You knew at once we were English, mademoiselle?’

’Yes, I could read it off your backs, and truly too your English eyes are quite open at a glance.  It is of you both I speak.  If I but make my words plain!  My “th” I cannot always.  And to understand, your English is indeed heavy speech! not so in books.  I have my English governess.  We read English tales, English poetry—­and sthat is your excellence.  And so, will you not come, sirs, up when a way is to be shown to you?  It is my question.’

Temple thanked her for the kindness of the offer.

I was hesitating, half conscious of surprise that I should ever be hesitating in doubt of taking the direction toward my father.  Hearing Temple’s boldness I thanked her also, and accepted.  Then she said, bowing: 

‘I beg you will cover your heads.’

We passed the huge groom bolt upright on his towering horse; he raised two fingers to the level of his eyebrows in the form of a salute.

Temple murmured:  ‘I shouldn’t mind entering the German Army,’ just as after our interview with Captain Bulsted he had wished to enter the British Navy.

This was no more than a sign that he was highly pleased.  For my part delight fluttered the words in my mouth, so that I had to repeat half I uttered to the attentive ears of our gracious new friend and guide: 

‘Ah,’ she said, ’one does sthink one knows almost all before experiment.  I am ashamed, yet I will talk, for is it not so? experiment is a school.  And you, if you please, will speak slow.  For I say of you English gentlemen, silk you spin from your lips; it is not as a language of an alphabet; it is pleasant to hear when one would lull, but Italian can do that, and do it more—­am I right? soft?

‘Bella Vista, lovely view,’ said I.

‘Lovely view,’ she repeated.

She ran on in the most musical tongue, to my thinking, ever heard: 

‘And see my little pensioners’ poor cottage, who are out up to Lovely View.  Miles round go the people to it.  Good, and I will tell you strangers:  sthe Prince von Eppenwelzen had his great ancestor, and his sister Markgrafin von Rippau said, “Erect a statue of him, for he was a great warrior.”  He could not, or he would not, we know not.  So she said, “I will,” she said, “I will do it in seven days.”  She does constantly amuse him, everybody at de Court.  Immense excitement!  For suppose it!—­a statue of a warrior on horseback, in perfect likeness, chapeau tricorne, perruque, all of bronze, and his marshal’s baton.  Eh bien, well, a bronze horse is come at a gallop from Berlin; sthat we know.  By fortune a most exalted sculptor in Berlin has him ready,—­and many horses pulled him to here, to Lovely View, by post-haste; sthat we know.  But we are in extremity of puzzlement.  For where is the statue to ride him? where—­am I plain to you, sirs?—­is sthe Marshal Furst von Eppenwelzen, our great ancestor?