As soon as the waiter had gone, Rollo looked round the other way, and he saw that the other boy was peeping at him from behind the pillar. The boy laughed when he caught Rollo's eye, and Rollo laughed too. The boy seemed to be about nine years old.
A moment afterwards the boy began to peep at Rollo from behind the pillar on the back side, and then again on the front side, thus playing a sort of bo-peep. In this way, in a few minutes the two boys began to feel quite acquainted with each other, without, however, having spoken a word. They would, perhaps, have continued this game longer, but just at this moment the breakfast for the party came in, and the boy set himself at work eating a warm roll, buttered, and drinking his coffee.
"Can you speak French?" asked Rollo,—of course speaking French himself in asking the question.
"Yes," said the boy, "but not very well."
"Then," said Rollo to himself, "he cannot be a French boy. Perhaps he is an Italian boy."
"Italian?" asked Rollo.
"No," said the boy, "not at all. All I know of Italian is grazia."[4]
"What does that mean?" asked Rollo.
"It means, Thank you," said the boy.
"He must be a German boy, I think," said Rollo to himself.