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the courage to right herself when Mrs。 Adding met her with the appeal：
〃Oh； Mrs。 March； I'm so glad you approve of Mr。 Kenby's plan。 It does
seem the only thing to do。 I can't trust myself alone with Rose； and Mr。
Kenby's intending to go to Schevleningen a few days later anyway。 Though
it's too bad to let him give up the manoeuvres。〃
〃I'm sure he won't mind that；〃 Mrs。 March's voice said mechanically；
while her thought was busy with the question whether this scandalous
duplicity was altogether Kenby's； and whether Mrs。 Adding was as
guiltless of any share in it as she looked。 She looked pitifully
distracted； she might not have understood his report； or Kenby might
really have mistaken Mrs。 March's sympathy for favor。
〃No； he only lives to do good；〃 Mrs。 Adding returned。 〃He's with Rose；
won't you come in and see them？〃
Rose was lying back on the pillows of a sofa； from which they would not
let him get up。 He was full of the trip to Holland； and had already
pushed Kenby； as Kenby owned； beyond the bounds of his very general
knowledge of the Dutch language； which Rose had plans for taking up after
they were settled in Schevleningen。 The boy scoffed at the notion that
he was not perfectly well； and he wished to talk with March on the points
where he had found Kenby wanting。
〃Kenby is an encyclopaedia compared with me； Rose；〃 the editor protested；
and he amplified his ignorance for the boy's good to an extent which Rose
saw was a joke。 He left Holland to talk about other things which his
mother thought quite as bad for him。 He wished to know if March did not
think that the statue of the bishop with the sparrow on its finger was a
subject for a poem； and March said gayly that if Rose would write it he
would print it in 'Every Other Week'。
The boy flushed with pleasure at his banter。 〃No； I couldn't do it。
But I wish Mr。 Burnamy had seen it。 He could。 Will you tell him about
it？〃 He wanted to know if March had heard from Burnamy lately； and in
the midst of his vivid interest he gave a weary sigh。
His mother said that now he had talked enough； and bade him say good…by
to the Marches； who were coming so soon to Holland； anyway。 Mrs。 March
put her arms round him to kiss him； and when she let him sink back her
eyes were dim。
〃You see how frail he is？〃 said Mrs。 Adding。 〃I shall not let him out of
my sight； after this； till he's well again。〃
She had a kind of authority in sending Kenby away with them which was not
lost upon the witnesses。 He asked them to come into the reading…room a
moment with him； and Mrs。 March wondered if he were going to make some
excuse to her for himself； but he said： 〃I don't know how we're to manage
about the Triscoes。 The general will have a room to himself； but if Mrs。
Adding takes Rose in with her； it leaves Miss Triscoe out； and there
isn't a room to be had in this house for love or money。 Do you think；〃
he appealed directly to Mrs。 March； 〃that it would do to offer her my
room at the Swan？〃
〃Why； yes；〃 she assented； with a reluctance rather for the complicity in
which he had already involved her； and for which he was still unpunished；
than for what he was now proposing。 〃Or she could come in with me； and
Mr。 March could take it。〃
〃Whichever you think；〃 said Kenby so submissively that she relented； to
ask：
〃And what will you do？〃
He laughed。 〃Well； people have been known to sleep in a chair。 I shall
manage somehow。〃
〃You might offer to go in with the general；〃 March suggested； and the men
apparently thought this was a joke。 Mrs。 March did not laugh in her
feminine worry about ways and means。
〃Where is Miss Triscoe？〃 she asked。 〃We haven't seen them。〃
〃Didn't Mrs。 Adding tell you？ They went to supper at a restaurant； the
general doesn't like the cooking here。 They ought to have been back
before this。〃
He looked up at the clock on the wall； and she said； 〃I suppose you would
like us to wait。〃
〃It would be very kind of you。〃
〃Oh； it's quite essential；〃 she returned with an airy freshness which
Kenby did not seem to feel as painfully as he ought。
They all sat down； and the Triscoes came in after a few minutes； and a
cloud on the general's face lifted at the proposition Kenby left Mrs。
March to make。
〃I thought that child ought to be in his mother's charge；〃 he said。 With
his own comfort provided for； he made no objections to Mrs。 March's plan；
and Agatha went to take leave of Rose and his mother。 〃By…the…way；〃 the
general turned to March； 〃I found Stoller at the restaurant where we
supped。 He offered me a place in his carriage for the manoeuvres。 How
are you going？〃
〃I think I shall go by train。 I don't fancy the long drive。〃
〃Well； I don't know that it's worse than the long walk after you leave
the train；〃 said the general from the offence which any difference of
taste was apt to give him。 〃Are you going by train； too？〃 he asked Kenby
with indifference。
〃I'm not going at all；〃 said Kenby。 〃I'm leaving Wurzburg in the
morning。〃
〃Oh； indeed；〃 said the general。
Mrs。 March could not make out whether he knew that Kenby was going with
Rose and Mrs。 Adding； but she felt that there must be a full and open
recognition of the fact among them。 〃Yes；〃 she said； 〃isn't it fortunate
that Mr。 Kenby should be going to Holland； too！ I should have been so
unhappy about them if Mrs。 Adding had been obliged to make that long
journey with poor little Rose alone。〃
〃Yes； yes； very fortunate； certainly；〃 said the general colorlessly。
Her husband gave her a glance of intelligent appreciation； but Kenby was
too simply； too densely content with the situation to know the value of
what she had done。 She thought he must certainly explain； as he walked
back with her to the Swan； whether he had misrepresented her to Mrs。
Adding； or Mrs。 Adding had misunderstood him。 Somewhere there had been
an error； or a duplicity which it was now useless to punish； and Kenby
was so apparently unconscious of it that she had not the heart to be
cross with him。 She heard Miss Triscoe behind her with March laughing in
the gayety which the escape from her father seemed to inspire in her。
She was promising March to go with him in the morning to see the Emperor
and Empress of Germany arrive at the station； and he was warning her that
if she laughed there； like that； she would subject him to fine and
imprisonment。 She pretended that she would like to see him led off
between two gendarmes； but consented to be a little careful when he asked
her how she expected to get back to her hotel without him； if such a
thing happened。
LVIII。
After all； Miss Triscoe did not go with March； she preferred to sleep。
The imperial party was to arrive at half past seven； but at six the crowd
was already dense before the station； and all along the street leading to
the Residenz。 It was a brilliant day； with the promise of sunshine；
through which a chilly wind blew； for the manoeuvres。 The colors of all
the German states flapped in this breeze from the poles wreathed with
evergreen which encircled the square； the workmen putting the last
touches on the bronzed allegory hurried madly to be done； and they had；
scarcely finished their labors when two troops of dragoons rode into the
place and formed before the station； and waited as motionlessly as their
horses would allow。
These animals were not so conscious as lions at the approach of princes；
they tossed and stamped impatiently in the long interval before the
Regent and his daughter…in…law came to welcome their guests。 All the
human beings； both those who were in charge and those who were under
charge； were in a quiver of anxiety to play their parts well； as if there
were some heavy penalty for failure in the least point。 The policemen
keeping the people； in line behind the ropes which restrained them
trembled with eagerness； the faces of some of the troopers twitched。
An involuntary sigh went up from the crowd as the Regent's carriage
appeared； heralded by outriders； and followed by other plain carriages of
Bavarian blue with liveries of blue and silver。 Then the whistle of the
Kaiser's train sounded； a trumpeter advanced and began to blow his
trumpet as they do in the theatre； and exactly at the appointed moment
the Emperor and Empress came out of the station through the brilliant
human alley leading from it； mounted their carriages； with the stage
trumpeter always blowing； and whirled swiftly round half the square and
flashed into the corner toward the Residenz out of sight。 The same
hollow groans of Ho…o…o…ch greeted and followed them from the spectators
as had welcomed the Regent when he first arrived among his fellow…
townsmen； with the same effect of being the conventional cries of a stage
mob behind the scenes。
The Emperor was like most of his innumerable pictures； with a swarthy
face from which his blue eyes glanced pleasantly； he looked good…humored
if not good…natured； the Empress smiled amiably beneath her deeply
fringed white parasol； and they both bowed right and left in
acknowledgment of those hollow groans； but again it seemed； to March that
sovereignty； gave the popular curiosi