[The Innocents Abroad Part 2 of 6 by Mark Twain]@TWC D-Link bookThe Innocents Abroad Part 2 of 6 CHAPTER XV 21/23
By and by there was a sound of music, and soon the Emperor of the French and the Emperor of Austria, escorted by the famous Cent Gardes, entered the enclosure.
They seemed not to observe him, but directly, in response to a sign from the commander of the guard, a young lieutenant came toward him with a file of his men following, halted, raised his hand, and gave the military salute, and then said in a low voice that he was sorry to have to disturb a stranger and a gentleman, but the place was sacred to royalty.
Then this New Jersey phantom rose up and bowed and begged pardon, then with the officer beside him, the file of men marching behind him, and with every mark of respect, he was escorted to his carriage by the imperial Cent Gardes! The officer saluted again and fell back, the New Jersey sprite bowed in return and had presence of mind enough to pretend that he had simply called on a matter of private business with those emperors, and so waved them an adieu and drove from the field! Imagine a poor Frenchman ignorantly intruding upon a public rostrum sacred to some six-penny dignitary in America.
The police would scare him to death first with a storm of their elegant blasphemy, and then pull him to pieces getting him away from there.
We are measurably superior to the French in some things, but they are immeasurably our betters in others. Enough of Paris for the present.
<<Back Index Next>> D-Link book Top TWC mobile books
|