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The Absorption of ' Talk '
over her, and she hastily dropped it back into its warm repository.
On another occasion the chief lecturer was a Russian who could give the ladies of Los Angeles a number of rather mean, sordid details about the life of the late Tsar and Tsarina. After lunch he was followed by a high but impoverished princess on the subject of the Grand Duchess Anastasia. The princess had a truly royal bust decorated with a diamond star of some illustrious order ; her double chins and withered neck showed faintly through a scarf of purple tulle. She spoke English very imperfectly and read almost phonetically from notes grasped in white-gloved hands.
" Laties. I would haf-you-know that it gifs me-a-greatpleasure to gom biffor-you-to tell you what I can-tell you a-bout de Gran-duchess-Anastasie. I haf-know-de Grandduchess-Anastasie since she vos a cheeild, an I would-hafyou-know dat if I see de Gran-duchess-Anastasie I can-tell-you vedda she de Grand-duchess-Anastasie or no. . . ."
" Can you make out what she is saying? " whispered the lady whom Jo had accompanied.
" Oh, yes, but then we've known quite a lot of this kind in Paris/ ' said Jo.
" I can't understand a word," said her friend.
Now and again the notes of the princess became mixed ; from one page to another the sequence was incoherent. The princess had just enough English to perceive this, on which she swore to herself audibly in German somewhat thus :
M I dellyou, latis, inde summerof ninetee untret an tvelf I vos very-vell-acquaintet vit 'er 'orse vot she used to . . . Eh? Vass? Vass? Herr Gott. Very-vell-acquaintet vit 'er 'orse ? Donnervetter . . . Vas it ? . . . Ach ! ya . . . summerof nintee untret an tvelf I vos veryvellacquainted vit de Granduchessanastasie. ..."
The grand conclusion was thus :
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