I said, "Gentlemen, I wish to introduce my friend, Mr. Homos," and then I
presented them severally to him by name. We all sat down, and I explained:
"Mr. Homos is from Altruria. He is visiting our country for the first
time, and is greatly interested in the working of our institutions. He has
been asking me some rather hard questions about certain phases of our
civilization; and the fact is that I have launched him upon you because I
don't feel quite able to cope with him."
They all laughed civilly at this sally of mine, but the professor asked,
with a sarcasm that I thought I hardly merited, "What point in our polity
can be obscure to the author of 'Glove and Gauntlet' and 'Airs and
Graces'?"
They all laughed again, not so civilly, I felt, and then the banker asked
my friend: "Is it long since you left Altruria?"
"It seems a great while ago," the Altrurian answered, "but it is really
only a few weeks."
"You came by way of England, I suppose?"
"Yes; there is no direct line to America," said the Altrurian.
"That seems rather odd," I ventured, with some patriotic grudge.
"Oh, the English have direct lines everywhere," the banker instructed me.
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