The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-06-01
PRICE THREE CENTS.
SOME NEW AMERICAN STORIES
Produced by Combination Of Newspa.
pen, and Published SeraIly. =
in Parts, Every Sunday. l.1
tcspyrisht, 1854, BY Henry lanai
p A N D Q r A..
BY HENRY JAMES. -
~ 4 - PA h r.

BY HENRY JAxEs. -
YIRsi PART.
It has long been the custom Of the North
German Lloyd steamers which convey passsn-s
gers from Bremen to New York 70 anchor for
several hours ia the pleasant port Of South
ampton. whore their human cargo receives
many additions. An intelligent young Ger.
man. Count Otto vogelstein. hardly knew. .
fow years ago. whether to condemn this Gus.
tom or approve 1t. He leaned over the bulwarks
OF tho Donau as tho American passengers
crossed the plank-the travellers who embark
at SOUTHAMPTON ore mainly Of that nationality
and curiously. indinerently. vaguely. through
the smoke OF his cigar. saw them absorbed In
the hugo capacity Of tho ship whore no had
the agreeable consciousness th1t his own nest
was comfortably made. To watch from point
ofvantagc the struggles OF later comers-of the
uniformed. the unprovlded. the bowiliorcd-
is an occupation not devoid Of sweetness. and
there was nothing to mitigate tho complaceney
with which our young friend gave himself up'
to 1t; nothing. that is. save natural benevo.
lence which had not yet been extinguished By
tho consciousness OF official greatness.
For Count Vogelstein was official. a.
I think you would have soen from
the strsightnoss Of his back. tho lus.
tire OF his light. elegant spectacles. and
something discreet and diplomatic in the
curve Of his moustachs. which looked as II IL
might well contribute to the principal iunc-
tion. as cynios say. Of the lips. tho concsamsnt
OF thought. He had boon appointed to the
secretaryshp OF the German legation at Wash.
ington. and in these first days OF the autumn
no was going to take possession Of his post. He
was model character for such purpose
serious civil. acrimonious stir. inquisltive.
stuffed with knowledge and convinced that ct
present the German empire Is tho country In
the world most highly evolved. He wns quite
aware. however. Of the claims OF the United
States. anO that this portion Of the globe pre-
scented an enormous field for study. The pro-
coss OF inquiry had already begun. In spite OF
his having A. yet spoken to mono Of his fellow
passengers. for yogestein inquired not only
with his tongue-he inquired with his ores
THAT is. with his spectacles With his ears. with
his nose. with his palate with all his senaea
and organs. He was an excellent young man.
md his only fault was that he had not high
sense OF humor. Hs had enough however. to
suspect this deficiency and he was aware that
he was about to visit highly humorous poo-
pie. This suspicion gave him certain mis-.
trust OF what might DO said OF him. and II cir. =
cumspc,tion Is tho essence OF diplomacy. our
young aspirant promised we'll His mind CON-
closely together for the light breeze Of the
Imagination to draw through the, mass.
He was impatient to report himself to his
superior in Washington. and the loss Of time In
an English port could only ineommodo him. In.
asmuch as the studyot English institutions was
NO part Of his mission. But on tho other hand,
the day Was charming, the blue sea, in South
ampton water. pricked all over with light. had
no movement but that OF its Infinite simmer.
And he was BY no means sure that he should b
happy In the United States where doubtless he
should find himself soon enough disembarked.
He knew that this was not an important Qucs-
ton. and happiness was an unscentiflc term.
which he was ashamed to use even in the ST.
lence OF his thoughts. But lost In tho inconsid-
crate crowd. and feeling himself neither In his
own country nor In that to which he was In q
manner accredited. no was reduced to his mere
personality; SO that. for the moment. To MI
himself out. no tried to have an opinion on the
| subject Of this delay to which the German
| steamer was subjected in English waters. II
appeared to him that 1t might be proved to IL
considerably greater than the occasion de-
manded. Count Vogelstein was still youns
| enough In diplomacy to think 1t necessary 70
have opinions. Ho had good many. indeed.
| which had been formed without difficulty: they
had boon received ready made from line OF
| ancestors who knew what they liked. This was.
| Of course-and he would have admitted it,
an unscientiac way Of furnishing ones mind.
Our young man was Q stin conserva-
tive. q Junker Of Junkers; he thought
modern democracy temporary phase. and ex-
pected to find many arguments against It IN
the United States. In regard to these things. II
was pleasure to him to feel that, with his
complete training. he had been taught thors
oughly to appreciate the nature Of evidence
The ship was heavily laden with German emil.
grants. whose mission in the United States dil.
fsred considerably from Count Otto's. They
hung over the bulwarks. densely grouped; they
leaned forward on their elbows for hours.
with their shoulders on a level with their ears |;
the men In furred caps. smoking long bowled
pipes; tho women with babies hidden In their
shawls. Some were yollow Germans and some
were black. and all Of Thorn looked greasy and
matted with the sea damp. They were destined
to swell the current OF Western democracy. and
| Count Vogelstein doubtless said to himself that
they would not improve Its quality. Their
numbers however. were striking. and know
not what he thought OF the nature Of this evil
| dence.
Tho passengers who came on board at South.
ampton were not OF the greasy class they were
for the most part American families who
had been spending the summer or q long.
or period. In Europe. They had great deal OF
luggage. innumerable bags and rugs and ham.
pers and sea chairs and were composed large.
ly OF ladies OF various ages. q little pale with
anticipation. wrapped In striped shswls. and
crowned with very high hats and feathers. They
darted to and fro across the gangway. looking
for each other and for their scattered parcels;
they separated and reunited they exclaimed
and declared. they eyed with dismay the occu-
pants OF the steeraGe. who seemed numerous
enough to sink the vessel. aud their voices
sounded faint and far as they rose to Vogel-
stems car over the tarred sides OF the ship He
observed that In the now contingent there wero
many young girls. and he remembered what q
lady In Dresden had once said to hlm-that
America was a country Of girls. He wondered
whether he should like that. and reflected that
1t would 10 question to study. like everything
else. He had known In Dresden an American
family. In which there were three daughters.
who used to skate with the officers and some
Of the ladies' now coming on board seemed to
him Of that same habit. except that in the