Orthodocia, suavely, "Are they produced here to any extent?"
"We have here many porryticks—ribarer, conservative, monarchist."
"Oh!" more recourse to the window.
"Orthodocia," I said severely, "you may not be aware of it, but your conduct is throwing discredit upon a person hitherto fairly entitled to the world's good opinion—which is me. Continue to be absorbingly interested in that brick wall, and allow me to talk to the gentleman."
"We have come," I said distinctly—Orthodocia bears testimony to the fact that I said it distinctly—"to see Japan as far as Japan will permit. Her politics, system of education, customs, and arts will be of—ahem!—interest to us. We cannot truthfully say that we expect to penetrate more deeply into the national life than other travellers have done. In repressing this expectation we claim to be original. We confess that our impressions will naturally be superficial, but we hope to represent the crust so charmingly that nobody will ask for any of the—interior—of the—well, of the pie."
"That's equivocal," said Orthodocia, "and ridiculous."
"Notwithstanding the well-known reticence of the Japanese," I continued, "we hope to meet some of them who will show us something more of their domesticity than we can see through the windows."
"You will acquire ranguage of Japan?"
"Not all of it, I think. It seems a little difficult, but musical—much more musical than our ugly English," interposed Orthodocia.
"Yes. Will you the story of your journey please say?"