Page:Life in the Old World - Vol. II.djvu/369

Rh His firm and manly bearing, however, soon gave a clearness and serenity to their mutual relationship. He has engaged a room in the same hotel as ourselves, we take our meals and our walks together. In the evening she reads aloud something from Channing—the great and good American Channing, to whose writings he is very partial—or from some other excellent author—sometimes also an article from a newspaper. With Elsa he has more the manner of a père noble, than of a lover; and it suits him as an older man, whilst it is in keeping with his very youthful disposition, and gives a security and freedom to their intercourse which is a great pleasure to me. We all three have points of union in our views of life, as well life in general, as that of the individual, in that which constitutes the weal or woe of the nation and the individual. The conversation between him and myself sometimes embraces subjects of very grave character, and then little Elsa is silent; but when we break off for her sake, she says:

“Nay, go on, go on. I like to listen to you, though I do not understand much about these things; but they interest me.” And such avowals give him great pleasure.

We sympathize also in our taste for a quiet mode of life; and in this way, we three foreigners, from various lands, who some weeks ago were altogether unacquainted with each other, now live together like brother and sisters, and think that it would be very nice if it could always remain thus, without Waldo wishing to change his relationship to one of us, into a relationship still more intimate. But, on that subject