“Lakes!” sez Martin scornfully—“ponds, you mean.”
But I went on in not mindin’ him.
“Or the St. Lawrence is bigger than the Rhine, but it will take a long, long time. And then in a lot of other things these countries are superior to ourn. They train their children better in some of these countries. Their children have as much agin reverence and respect for parents and gardeens, and them who are in authority, as American children have. Why, a English or a German mother would faint away with horrow to see a lot of American children behave, and boss round their folks, and act. And then look at—”
I wuz jest on the pint of bringin’ up a lot more of things in which these countries excelled ourn, when Martin looked at his watch, and sed that he must be in a distant part of the city in ten minutes by the clock; so he went out. I presoom he hated to lose my eloquent and instructive remarks; but he had to go.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
GERMANY AND BELGIUM.
Martin sed he shouldn’t think of travellin’ in Germany, as he had made a very exhaustive study of the country on a visit he’d paid it some years before. I knew Alice had been there two years, a-stayin’ with a Miss Ponsione, a music-teacher, as nigh as I could make out, a kind of foreign creeter, I guess.
Sez he, “I gave more exhaustive attention to Germany than to any other country in Europe, and I would not wish to make a needless expenditure of time there.”
Sez I, “Martin, how long a time did you stay in Germany?”
“Over a week,” sez he.