the twins of table mountain-第26部分

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average　German　house…servant。　　It　is　not　that　she　has　passed　my
Spion　a　dozen　times　within　the　last　hour；for　here　she　is
messenger；　porter；　and　commissionnaire；　as　well　as　housemaid　and
cook；but　that　she　is　always　a　phenomenon　to　the　American
stranger；　accustomed　to　be　abused　in　his　own　country　by　his　foreign
Irish　handmaiden。　　Her　presence　is　as　refreshing　and　grateful　as
the　morning　light；　and　as　inevitable　and　regular。　　When　I　add　that
with　the　novelty　of　being　well　served　is　combined　the　satisfaction
of　knowing　that　you　have　in　your　household　an　intelligent　being　who
reads　and　writes　with　fluency；　and　yet　does　not　abstract　your
books；　nor　criticise　your　literary　composition；　who　is　cleanly
clad；　and　neat　in　her　person；　without　the　suspicion　of　having
borrowed　her　mistress's　dresses；　who　may　be　good…looking　without
the　least　imputation　of　coquetry　or　addition　to　her　followers；　who
is　obedient　without　servility；　polite　without　flattery；　willing　and
replete　with　supererogatory　performance；　without　the　expectation　of
immediate　pecuniary　return；　what　wonder　that　the　American
householder　translated　into　German　life　feels　himself　in　a　new　Eden
of　domestic　possibilities　unrealized　in　any　other　country；　and
begins　to　believe　in　a　present　and　future　of　domestic　happiness！
What　wonder　that　the　American　bachelor　living　in　German　lodgings
feels　half　the　terrors　of　the　conjugal　future　removed；　and　rushes
madly　into　loveand　housekeeping！　　What　wonder　that　I；　a　long…
suffering　and　patient　master；　who　have　been　served　by　the　reticent
but　too　imitative　Chinaman；　who　have　been　〃Massa〃　to　the　childlike
but　untruthful　negro；　who　have　been　the　recipient　of　the　brotherly
but　uncertain　ministrations　of　the　South…Sea　Islander；　and　have
been　proudly　disregarded　by　the　American　aborigine；　only　in　due
time　to　meet　the　fate　of　my　countrymen　at　the　hands　of　Bridget　the
Celt；what　wonder　that　I　gladly　seize　this　opportunity　to　sing　the
praises　of　my　German　handmaid！　　Honor　to　thee；　Lenchen；　wherever
thou　goest！　　Heaven　bless　thee　in　thy　walks　abroad！　whether　with
that　tightly…booted　cavalryman　in　thy　Sunday　gown　and　best；　or　in
blue　polka…dotted　apron　and　bare　head　as　thou　trottest　nimbly　on
mine　errands；errands　which　Bridget　o'Flaherty　would　scorn　to
undertake；　or；　undertaking；　would　hopelessly　blunder　in。　　Heaven
bless　thee；　child；　in　thy　early　risings　and　in　thy　later　sittings；
at　thy　festive　board　overflowing　with　Essig　and　Fett；　in　the
mysteries　of　thy　Kuchen；　in　the　fulness　of　thy　Bier；　and　in　thy
nightly　suffocations　beneath　mountainous　and　multitudinous
feathers！　　Good；　honest；　simple…minded；　cheerful；　duty…loving
Lenchen！　　Have　not　thy　brothers；　strong　and　dutiful　as　thou；　lent
their　gravity　and　earnestness　to　sweeten　and　strengthen　the　fierce
youth　of　the　Republic　beyond　the　seas？　and　shall　not　thy　children
inherit　the　broad　prairies　that　still　wait　for　them；　and　discover
the　fatness　thereof；　and　send　a　portion　transmuted　in　glittering
shekels　back　to　thee？

Almost　as　notable　are　the　children　whose　round　faces　have　as
frequently　been　reflected　in　my　Spion。　　Whether　it　is　only　a　fancy
of　mine　that　the　average　German　retains　longer　than　any　other　race
his　childish　simplicity　and　unconsciousness；　or　whether　it　is
because　I　am　more　accustomed　to　the　extreme　self…assertion　and
early　maturity　of　American　children；　I　know　not；　but　I　am　inclined
to　believe　that　among　no　other　people　is　childhood　as　perennial；
and　to　be　studied　in　such　characteristic　and　quaint　and　simple
phases　as　here。　　The　picturesqueness　of　Spanish　and　Italian
childhood　has　a　faint　suspicion　of　the　pantomime　and　the　conscious
attitudinizing　of　the　Latin　races。　　German　children　are　not
exuberant　or　volatile：　they　are　serious；a　seriousness；　however；
not　to　be　confounded　with　the　grave　reflectiveness　of　age；　but　only
the　abstract　wonderment　of　childhood；　for　all　those　who　have　made　a
loving　study　of　the　young　human　animal　will；　I　think；　admit　that
its　dominant　expression　is　GRAVITY；　and　not　playfulness；　and　will
be　satisfied　that　he　erred　pitifully　who　first　ascribed　〃light…
heartedness〃　and　〃thoughtlessness〃　as　part　of　its　phenomena。　　These
little　creatures　I　meet　upon　the　street；whether　in　quaint　wooden
shoes　and　short　woollen　petticoats；　or　neatly　booted　and　furred；
with　school　knapsacks　jauntily　borne　upon　little　square　shoulders；
all　carry　likewise　in　their　round　chubby　faces　their　profound
wonderment　and　astonishment　at　the　big　busy　world　into　which　they
have　so　lately　strayed。　　If　I　stop　to　speak　with　this　little　maid
who　scarcely　reaches　to　the　top…boots　of　yonder　cavalry　officer；
there　is　less　of　bashful　self…consciousness　in　her　sweet　little
face　than　of　grave　wonder　at　the　foreign　accent　and　strange　ways　of
this　new　figure　obtruded　upon　her　limited　horizon。　　She　answers
honestly；　frankly；　prettily；　but　gravely。　　There　is　a　remote
possibility　that　I　might　bite；　and；　with　this　suspicion　plainly
indicated　in　her　round　blue　eyes；　she　quietly　slips　her　little　red
hand　from　mine；　and　moves　solemnly　away。　　I　remember　once　to　have
stopped　in　the　street　with　a　fair　countrywoman　of　mine　to
interrogate　a　little　figure　in　sabots；the　one　quaint　object　in
the　long；　formal　perspective　of　narrow；　gray　bastard…Italian
facaded　houses　of　a　Rhenish　German　Strasse。　　The　sweet　little
figure　wore　a　dark…blue　woollen　petticoat　that　came　to　its　knees；
gray　woollen　stockings　covered　the　shapely　little　limbs　below；　and
its　very　blonde　hair；　the　color　of　a　bright　dandelion；　was　tied　in
a　pathetic　little　knot　at　the　back　of　its　round　head；　and　garnished
with　an　absurd　green　ribbon。　　Now；　although　this　gentlewoman's
sympathies　were　catholic　and　universal；　unfortunately　their
expression　was　limited　to　her　own　mother…tongue。　　She　could　not
help　pouring　out　upon　the　child　the　maternal　love　that　was　in　her
own　womanly　breast；　nor　could　she　withhold　the　〃baby…talk〃　through
which　it　was　expressed。　　But；　alas！　it　was　in　English。　　Hence
ensued　a　colloquy；　tender　and　extravagant　on　the　part　of　the　elder；
grave　and　wondering　on　the　part　of　the　child。　　But　the　lady　had　a
natural　feminine　desire　for　reciprocity；　particularly　in　the
presence　of　our　emotion…scorning　sex；　and　as　a　last　resource　she
emptied　the　small　silver　of　her　purse　into　the　lap　of　the　coy
maiden。　　It　was　a　declaration　of　love；　susceptible　of　translation
at　the　nearest　cake…shop。　　But　the　little　maid；　whose　dress　and
manner　certainly　did　not　betray　an　habitual　disregard　of　gifts　of
this　kind；　looked　at　the　coin　thoughtfully；　but　not　regretfully。
Some　innate　sense　of　duty；　equally　strong　with　that　of　being　polite
to　strangers；　filled　her　consciousness。　　With　the　utterly
unexpected　remark　that　her　father　'did　not　allow　her　to　take　money'；
the　queer　little　figure　moved　away；　leaving　the　two　Americans
covered　with　mortification。　　The　rare　American　child　who　could　have
done　this　would　have　done　it　with　an　attitude。　　This　little　German
bourgeoise　did　it　naturally。　　I　do　not　intend　to　rush　to　the
deduction　that　German　children　of　the　lower　classes　habitually
refuse　pecuniary　gratuities：　indeed；　I　remember　to　have　wickedly
suggested　to　my　companion；　that；　to　avoid　impoverishment　in　a
foreign　land；　she　should　not　repeat　the　story　nor　the　experiment。
But　I　simply　offer　it　as　a　fact；　and　to　an　American；　at　home　or
abroad；　a　novel　one。

I　owe　to　these　little　figures　another　experience　quite　as　strange。
It　was　at　the　close　of　a　dull　winter's　day；a　day　from　which　all
out…of…door　festivity　seemed　to　be　naturally　excluded：　there　was　a
baleful　promise　of　snow　in　the　air　and　a　dismal　reminiscence　of　it
under　foot；　when　suddenly；　in　striking　contrast　with　the　dreadful
bleakness　of　the　street；　a　half　dozen　children；　masked　and
bedizened　with　cheap　ribbons；　spangles；　and　embroidery；　flashed
across　my　Spion。　　I　was　quick　to　understand　the　phenomenon。　　It　was
the　Carnival　season。　　Only　the　night　before　I　had　been　to　the　great
opening　masquerade；a　famous　affair；　for　which　this　art…loving
city　is　noted；　and　to　which　strangers　are　drawn　from　all　parts　of
the　Continent。　　I　remember　to　have　wondered　if　the　pleasure…loving
German　in　America　had　not　broken　some　of　his　conventional　shackles
in　emigration；　for　certainly　I　had　found　the　Carnival　balls　of　the
〃Lieder　Kranz　Society〃　in　New　York；　although　decorous　and
fashionable　to　the　American　taste；　to　be　wild　dissipations　compared
with　the　practical　seriousness　of　this　native　performance；　and　I
hailed　the　presence　of　these　children　in　the　open　street　as　a
promise　of　some　extravagance；　real；　untrammelled；　and　characteristic。
I　seized　my　hat　andOVERCOAT；a　dreadful　incongruity　to　the
spangles　that　had　whisked　by；　and　followed　the　vanishing　figures
round　the　corner。　　Here　they　were　re…enforced　by　a　dozen　men　and
women；　fantastically；　but　not　expensively　arrayed；　looking　not
unlike　the　supernumeraries　of　some　provincial　opera　troupe。
Following　the　crowd；　which　already　began　to　pour　in　from　the
side…streets；　in　a　few　moments　I　was　in　the　broad；　grove…like　allee；
and　in　the　midst　of　the　masqueraders。

I　remember　to　have　been　told　that　this　was　a　characteristic　annual
celebration　of　the　lower　classes；　antic