“ ‘No.’
“ ‘Thus you see the strong points in our character are quite different from yours. Do you play whist, or frequent the Jockey Club?’
“ ‘No,’ said the prince.
“ ‘Well, your Highness, with us whist and the club are everything.’
“This polite nonsense became so aggravating that His Highness replied—
“ ‘Do you, sir, deny that you had me shut up?’
“ ‘I had not the power to shut you up. It was the government. I am not the government.’
“ ‘Why did the government impose on His Highness?’ I inquired.
“ ‘Exactly,’ replied the Parisian. ‘Why? hem! the government takes no notice of popular whys and wherefores, it has its own political reasons for action, which are never divulged.’