their silver wedding journey v3-第26章

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on　both　days　there　were　more　people　in　the　paintings　than　out　of　them。
The　second　morning　the　waiter　who　took　his　order　recognized　him　and
asked；　〃Wie　gestern？〃　and　from　this　he　argued　an　affectionate　constancy
in　the　Berliners；　and　a　hospitable　observance　of　the　tastes　of　strangers。
At　his　bankers；　on　the　other　hand；　the　cashier　scrutinized　his　signature
and　remarked　that　it　did　not　look　like　the　signature　in　his　letter　of
credit；　and　then　he　inferred　a　suspicious　mind　in　the　moneyed　classes　of
Prussia；　as　he　had　not　been　treated　with　such　unkind　doubt　by　Hebrew
bankers　anywhere；　he　made　a　mental　note　that　the　Jews　were　politer　than
the　Christians　in　Germany。　　In　starting　for　Potsdam　he　asked　a　traeger
where　the　Potsdam　train　was　and　the　man　said；　〃Dat　train　dare；〃　and　in
coming　back　he　helped　a　fat　old　lady　out　of　the　car；　and　she　thanked　him
in　English。　　From　these　incidents；　both　occurring　the　same　day　in　the
same　place；　the　inference　of　a　widespread　knowledge　of　our　language　in
all　classes　of　the　population　was　inevitable。

In　this　obvious　and　easy　manner　he　studied　contemporary　civilization　in
the　capital。　　He　even　carried　his　researches　farther；　and　went　one　rainy
afternoon　to　an　exhibition　of　modern　pictures　in　a　pavilion　of　the
Thiergarten；　where　from　the　small　attendance　he　inferred　an　indifference
to　the　arts　which　he　would　not　ascribe　to　the　weather。　　One　evening　at　a
summer　theatre　where　they　gave　the　pantomime　of　the　'Puppenfee'　and　the
operetta　of　'Hansel　and　Gretel'；　he　observed　that　the　greater　part　of　the
audience　was　composed　of　nice　plain　young　girls　and　children；　and　he
noted　that　there　was　no　sort　of　evening　dress；　from　the　large　number　of
Americans　present　he　imagined　a　numerous　colony　in　Berlin；　where　they
mast　have　an　instinctive　sense　of　their　co…nationality；　since　one　of　them
in　the　stress　of　getting　his　hat　and　overcoat　when　they　all　came　out；
confidently　addressed　him　in　English。　　But　he　took　stock　of　his
impressions　with　his　wife；　and　they　seemed　to　him　so　few；　after　all；　that
he　could　not　resist　a　painful　sense　of　isolation　in　the　midst　of　the
environment。

They　made　a　Sunday　excursion　to　the　Zoological　Gardens　in　the
Thiergarten；　with　a　large　crowd　of　the　lower　classes；　but　though　they　had
a　great　deal　of　trouble　in　getting　there　by　the　various　kinds　of
horsecars　and　electric　cars；　they　did　not　feel　that　they　had　got　near　to
the　popular　life。　　They　endeavored　for　some　sense　of　Berlin　society　by
driving　home　in　a　drosky；　and　on　the　way　they　passed　rows　of　beautiful
houses；　in　French　and　Italian　taste；　fronting　the　deep；　damp　green　park
from　the　Thiergartenstrasse；　in　which　they　were　confident　cultivated　and
delightful　people　lived；　but　they　remained　to　the　last　with　nothing　but
their　unsupported　conjecture。




LXV。

Their　excursion　to　Potsdam　was　the　cream　of　their　sojourn　in　Berlin。
They　chose　for　it　the　first　fair　morning；　and　they　ran　out　over　the　flat
sandy　plains　surrounding　the　capital；　and　among　the　low　hills　surrounding
Potsdam　before　it　actually　began　to　rain。

They　wished　immediately　to　see　Sans　Souci　for　the　great　Frederick's　sake；
and　they　drove　through　a　lively　shower　to　the　palace；　where　they　waited
with　a　horde　of　twenty…five　other　tourists　in　a　gusty　colonnade　before
they　were　led　through　Voltaire's　room　and　Frederick's　death　chamber。

The　French　philosopher　comes　before　the　Prussian　prince　at　Sans　Souci
even　in　the　palatial　villa　which　expresses　the　wilful　caprice　of　the
great　Frederick　as　few　edifices　have　embodied　the　whims　or　tastes　of
their　owners。　　The　whole　affair　is　eighteenth…century　French；　as　the
Germans　conceived　it。　　The　gardened　terrace　from　which　the　low；　one…story
building；　thickly　crusted　with　baroque　sculptures；　looks　down　into　a
many…colored　parterre；　was　luxuriantly　French；　and　sentimentally　French
the　colonnaded　front　opening　to　a　perspective　of　artificial　ruins；　with
broken　pillars　lifting　a　conscious　fragment　of　architrave　against　the
sky。　　Within；　all　again　was　French　in　the　design；　the　decoration　and　the
furnishing。　　At　that　time　there；　was　in　fact　no　other　taste；　and
Frederick；　who　despised　and　disused　his　native　tongue；　was　resolved　upon
French　taste　even　in　his　intimate　companionship。　　The　droll　story　of　his
coquetry　with　the　terrible　free　spirit　which　he　got　from　France　to　be　his
guest　is　vividly　reanimated　at　Sans　Souci；　where　one　breathes　the　very
air　in　which　the　strangely　assorted　companions　lived；　and　in　which　they
parted　so　soon　to　pursue　each　other　with　brutal　annoyance　on　one　side；
and　with　merciless　mockery　on　the　other。　　Voltaire　was　long　ago　revenged
upon　his　host　for　all　the　indignities　he　suffered　from　him　in　their
comedy；　he　left　deeply　graven　upon　Frederick's　fame　the　trace　of　those
lacerating　talons　which　he　could　strike　to　the　quick；　and　it　is　the
singular　effect　of　this　scene　of　their　brief　friendship　that　one　feels
there　the　pre…eminence　of　the　wit　in　whatever　was　most　important　to
mankind。

The　rain　had　lifted　a　little　and　the　sun　shone　out　on　the　bloom　of　the
lovely　parterre　where　the　Marches　profited　by　a　smiling　moment　to　wander
among　the　statues　and　the　roses　heavy　with　the　shower。　　Then　they　walked
back　to　their　carriage　and　drove　to　the　New　Palace；　which　expresses　in
differing　architectural　terms　the　same　subjection　to　an　alien　ideal　of
beauty。　　It　is　thronged　without　by　delightfully　preposterous　rococco
statues；　and　within　it　is　rich　in　all　those　curiosities　and　memorials　of
royalty　with　which　palaces　so　well　know　how　to　fatigue　the　flesh　and
spirit　of　their　visitors。

The　Marches　escaped　from　it　all　with　sighs　and　groans　of　relief；　and
before　they　drove　off　to　see　the　great　fountain　of　the　Orangeries；　they
dedicated　a　moment　of　pathos　to　the　Temple　of　Friendship　which　Frederick
built　in　memory　of　unhappy　Wilhelmina　of　Beyreuth；　the　sister　he　loved　in
the　common　sorrow　of　their　wretched　home；　and　neglected　when　he　came　to
his　kingdom。　　It　is　beautiful　in　its　rococco　way；　swept　up　to　on　its
terrace　by　most　noble　staircases；　and　swaggered　over　by　baroque
allegories　of　all　sorts：　Everywhere　the　statues　outnumbered　the　visitors；
who　may　have　been　kept　away　by　the　rain；　the　statues　naturally　did　not
mind　it。

Sometime　in　the　midst　of　their　sight…seeing　the　Marches　had　dinner　in　a
mildewed　restaurant；　where　a　compatriotic　accent　caught　their　ear　in　a
voice　saying　to　the　waiter；　〃We　are　in　a　hurry。〃　　They　looked　round　and
saw　that　it　proceeded　from　the　pretty　nose　of　a　young　American　girl；　who
sat　with　a　party　of　young　American　girls　at　a　neighboring　table。　　Then
they　perceived　that　all　the　people　in　that　restaurant　were　Americans；
mostly　young　girls；　who　all　looked　as　if　they　were　in　a　hurry。　　But
neither　their　beauty　nor　their　impatience　had　the　least　effect　with　the
waiter；　who　prolonged　the　dinner　at　his　pleasure；　and　alarmed　the　Marches
with　the　misgiving　that　they　should　not　have　time　for　the　final　palace　on
their　list。

This　was　the　palace　where　the　father　of　Frederick；　the　mad　old　Frederick
William；　brought　up　his　children　with　that　severity　which　Solomon　urged
but　probably　did　not　practise。　　It　is　a　vast　place；　but　they　had　time　for
it　all；　though　the　custodian　made　the　most　of　them　as　the　latest　comers
of　the　day；　and　led　them　through　it　with　a　prolixity　as　great　as　their
waiter's。　　He　was　a　most　friendly　custodian；　and　when　he　found　that　they
had　some　little　notion　of　what　they　wanted　to　see；　he　mixed　zeal　with　his
patronage；　and　in　a　manner　made　them　his　honored　guests。　　They　saw
everything　but　the　doorway　where　the　faithful　royal　father　used　to　lie　in
wait　for　his　children　and　beat　them；　princes　and　princesses　alike；　with
his　knobby　cane　as　they　came　through。　　They　might　have　seen　this　doorway
without　knowing　it；　but　from　the　window　overlooking　the　parade…ground
where　his　family　watched　the　manoeuvres　of　his　gigantic　grenadiers；　they
made　sure　of　just　such　puddles　as　Frederick　William　forced　his　family　to
sit　with　their　feet　in；　while　they　dined　alfresco　on　pork　and　cabbage；
and　they　visited　the　room　of　the　Smoking　Parliament　where　he　ruled　his
convives　with　a　rod　of　iron；　and　made　them　the　victi