last days in a dutch hotel-第2节

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crabs。　　Such　a　day　was　last　Sunday；　and　then　the　beach　offered　a　lively
image　of　its　summer　gayety。　　It　was　dotted　with　hundreds　of　hooded
chairs；　which　foregathered　in　gossiping　groups　or　confidential　couples；
and　as　the　sun　shone　quite　warm　the　flaps　of　the　little　tents　next　the
dunes　were　let　down　against　it；　and　ladies　in　summer　white　saved
themselves　from　sunstroke　in　their　shelter。　　The　wooden　booths　for　the
sale　of　candies　and　mineral　waters；　and　beer　and　sandwiches；　were　flushed
with　a　sudden　prosperity；　so　that　when　I　went　to　buy　my　pound　of　grapes
from　the　good　woman　who　understands　my　Dutch；　I　dreaded　an　indifference
in　her　which　by　no　means　appeared。　　She　welcomed　me　as　warmly　as　if　I　had
been　her　sole　customer；　and　did　not　put　up　the　price　on　me；　perhaps
because　it　was　already　so　very　high　that　her　imagination　could　not　rise
above　it。

The　hotel　showed　the　same　admirable　constancy。　　The　restaurant　was
thronged　with　new…comers；　who　spread　out　even　over　the　many…tabled
esplanade　before　it；　but　it　was　in　no　wise　demoralized。　　That　night　we
sat　down　in　multiplied　numbers　to　a　table　d'hote　of　serenely　unconscious
perfection；　and　we　permanent　guestsalas！　we　are　now　becoming　transient；
toowere　used　with　unfaltering　recognition　of　our　superior　worth。　　We
shared　the　respect　which；　all　over　Europe；　attaches　to　establishment；　and
which　sometimes　makes　us　poor　Americans　wish　for　a　hereditary　nobility；
so　that　we　could　all　mirror　our　ancestral　value　in　the　deference　of　our
inferiors。　　Where　we　should　get　our　inferiors　is　another　thing；　but　I
suppose　we　could　import　them　for　the　purpose；　if　the　duties　were　not　too
great　under　our　tariff。

We　have　not　yet　imported　the　idea　of　a　European　hotel　in　any　respect；
though　we　long　ago　imported　what　we　call　the　European　plan。　　No　travelled
American　knows　it　in　the　extortionate　prices　of　rooms　when　he　gets　home；
or　the　preposterous　charges　of　our　restaurants；　where　one　portion　of
roast　beef　swimming　in　a　lake　of　lukewarm　juice　costs　as　much　as　a
diversified　and　delicate　dinner　in　Germany　or　Holland。　　But　even　if　there
were　any　proportion　in　these　things　the　European　hotel　will　not　be　with
us　till　we　have　the　European　portier；　who　is　its　spring　and　inspiration。
He　must　not；　dear　home…keeping　reader；　be　at　all　imagined　in　the　moral　or
material　figure　of　our　hotel　porter；　who　appears　always　in　his　shirt…
sleeves；　and　speaks　with　the　accent　of　Cork　or　of　Congo。　　The　European
portier　wears　a　uniform；　I　do　not　know　why；　and　a　gold…banded　cap；　and　he
inhabits　a　little　office　at　the　entrance　of　the　hotel。　　He　speaks　eight
or　ten　languages；　up　to　certain　limit；　rather　better　than　people　born　to
them；　and　his　presence　commands　an　instant　reverence　softening　to
affection　under　his　universal　helpfulness。　　There　is　nothing　he　cannot
tell　you；　cannot　do　for　you；　and　you　may　trust　yourself　implicitly　to
him。　　He　has　the　priceless　gift　of　making　each　nationality；　each
personality；　believe　that　he　is　devoted　to　its　service　alone。　　He　turns
lightly　from　one　language　to　another；　as　if　he　had　each　under　his　tongue；
and　he　answers　simultaneously　a　fussy　French　woman；　an　angry　English
tourist；　a　stiff　Prussian　major；　and　a　thin…voiced　American　girl　in
behalf　of　a　timorous　mother；　and　he　never　mixes　the　replies。　　He　is　an
inexhaustible　bottle　of　dialects；　but　this　is　the　least　of　his　merits；　of
his　miracles。

Our　portier　here　is　a　tall；　slim　Dutchman　（most　Dutchmen　are　tall　and
slim）；　and　in　spite　of　the　waning　season　he　treats　me　as　if　I　were
multitude；　while　at　the　same　time　he　uses　me　with　the　distinction　due　the
last　of　his　guests。　　Twenty　times　in　as　many　hours　he　wishes　me　good…day；
putting　his　hand　to　his　cap　for　the　purpose；　and　to　oblige　me　he　wears
silver　braid　instead　of　gilt　on　his　cap　and　coat。　　I　apologized　yesterday
for　troubling　him　so　often　for　stamps；　and　said　that　I　supposed　he　was
much　more　bothered　in　the　season。

〃Between　the　first　of　August　and　the　fifteenth；〃　he　answered；　〃you　cannot
think。　　All　that　you　can　do　is　to　say；　Yes；　No；　Yes；　No。〃　　And　he　left　me
to　imagine　his　responsibilities。

I　am　sure　he　will　hold　out　to　the　end；　and　will　smile　me　a　friendly
farewell　from　the　door　of　his　office；　which　is　also　his　dining…room；　as　I
know　from　often　disturbing　him　at　his　meals　there。　　I　have　no　fear　of　the
waiters　either；　or　of　the　little　errand…boys　who　wear　suits　of　sailor
blue；　and　touch　their　foreheads　when　they　bring　you　your　letters　like　so
many　ancient　sea…dogs。　　I　do　not　know　why　the　elevator…boy　prefers　a　suit
of　snuff…color；　but　I　know　that　he　will　salute　us　as　we　step　out　of　his
elevator　for　the　last　time　as　unfalteringly　as　if　we　had　just　arrived　at
the　beginning　of　the　summer。




IV

It　is　our　last　day　in　the　hotel　at　Scheveningen；　and　I　will　try　to　recall
in　their　pathetic　order　the　events　of　the　final　week。

Nothing　has　been　stranger　throughout　than　the　fluctuation　of　the　guests。
At　times　they　have　dwindled　to　so　small　a　number　that　one　must　reckon
chiefly　upon　their　quality　for　consolation；　at　other　times　they　swelled
to　such　a　tide　as　to　overflow　the　table；　long　or　short；　at　dinner；　and
eddy　round　a　second　board　beside　it。　　There　have　been　nights　when　I　have
walked　down　the　long　corridor　to　my　seaward　room　through　a　harking
solitude　of　empty　chambers；　there　have　been　mornings　when　I　have　come　out
to　breakfast　past　door…mats　cheerful　with　boots　of　both　sexes；　and　door…
post　hooks　where　dangling　coats　and　trousers　peopled　the　place　with　a
lively　if　a　somewhat　flaccid　semblance　of　human　presence。　　The　worst　was
that；　when　some　one　went；　we　lost　a　friend；　and　when　some　one　came　we
only　won　a　stranger。

Among　the　first　to　go　were　the　kindly　English　folk　whose　acquaintance　we
made　across　the　table　the　first　night；　and　who　took　with　them　so　large　a
share　of　our　facile　affections　that　we　quite　forgot　the　ancestral
enmities；　and　grieved　for　them　as　much　as　if　they　had　been　Americans。
There　have　been；　in　fact；　no　Americans　here　but　ourselves；　and　we　have
done　what　we　could　with　the　Germans　who　spoke　English。　　The　nicest　of
these　were　a　charming　family　from　F…；　father　and　mother；　and　son　and
daughter；　with　whom　we　had　a　pleasant　week　of　dinners。　　At　the　very　first
we　disagreed　with　the　parents　so　amicably　about　Ibsen　and　Sudermann　that
I　was　almost　sorry　to　have　the　son　take　our　modern　side　of　the
controversy　and　declare　himself　an　admirer　of　those　authors　with　us。
Our　frank　literary　difference　established　a　kindness　between　us　that　was
strengthened　by　our　community　of　English；　and　when　they　went　they　left　us
to　the　sympathy　of　another　German　family　with　whom　we　had　mainly　our
humanity　in　common。　　They　spoke　no　English；　and　I　only　a　German　which
they　must　have　understood　with　their　hearts　rather　than　their　heads；
since　it　consisted　chiefly　of　good…will。　　But　in　the　air　of　their　sweet
natures　it　flourished　surprisingly；　and　sufficed　each　day　for　praise　of
the　weather　after　it　began　to　be　fine；　and　at　parting　for　some　fond
regrets；　not　unmixed　with　philosophical　reflections；　sadly　perplexed　in
the　genders　and　the　order　of　the　verbs：　with　me　the　verb　will　seldom
wait；　as　it　should　in　German；　to　the　end。　　Both　of　these　families；　very
different　in　social　tradition；　I　fancied；　were　one　in　the　amiability
which　makes　the　alien　forgive　so　much　militarism　to　the　German　nation；
and　hope　for　its　final　escape　from　the　drill…sergeant。　　When　they　went；
we　were　left　for　some　meals　to　our　own　American　tongue；　with　a　brief
interval　of　that　English　painter　and　his　wife　with　whom　we　spoke；　our
language　as　nearly　like　English　as　we　could。　　Then　followed　a　desperate
lunch　and　dinner　where　an　unbroken　forest　of　German；　and　a　still　more
impenetrable　morass　of　Dutch；　hemmed　us　in。　　But　last　night　it　was　our
joy　to　be　addressed　in　our　own　speech　by　a　lady　who　spoke　it　as　admirably
as　our　dear　friends　from　F…。　　She　was　Dutch；　and　when　she　found　we
were　Americans　she　praised　our　historian　Motley；　and　told　us　how　his
portrait　is　gratefully　honored　with　a　place　in　the　Queen's　palace；　The
House　in　the　Woods；　near　Scheveningen。




V。

She　had　come　up　from　her　place　in　the　country；　four　hours　away；　for　the
last　of　the　concerts　here；　which　have　been　given　throughout　the　summer　by
the　best　orchestra　in　Europe；　and　which　have　been　thronged　every
afternoon　and　evening　by　people　from　The　Hague。

One　honored　day　this　week　even　the　Queen　and　the　Queen　Mother　came　down
to　the　concert；　and　gave　us　incomparably　the　greatest　event　of　our　waning
season。　　I　had　noticed　all　the　morning　a　floral　perturbation　about　the
main　entrance　of　the　hotel；　which　settled　into　the　form　of　banks　of
autumnal　bloom　on　either　side　of　the　specially　carpeted　stairs；　and　put
forth　on　the　roof　of　the　arcade　in　a　crown；　much　bigger　round　than　a
barrel；　of　orange…colored　asters；　in　honor　of　the　Queen's　ancestral　house
of　Orange。　　Flags　of　blue；　white；　and　red　fluttered　nervously　about　in
the　breeze　from　the　sea；　and　imparted　to　us　an　agreeable　anxiety　not　to
miss　seeing　the　Queens；　as　the　Dutch　succinctly　call　their　sovereign　and
her　parent；　and　at　three　o'clock　we　saw　them　drive　up　to　the　hotel。
Certain　officials