Page:Traveler from Altruria, Howells, 1894.djvu/136

130 to help you keep him from doing anything ridiculous, if I can. I like him, and I think it's a perfect shame to have people laughing at him. I know we can manage him between us."

We so far failed, however, that the Altrurian shook hands with the head waiter, when he pressed open the wire netting door to let us into the dining-room, and made a bow to our waitress of the sort one makes to a lady. But we thought it best to ignore these little errors of his, and reserve our moral strength for anything more spectacular. Fortunately we got through our breakfast with nothing worse than his jumping up, and stooping to hand the waitress a spoon she let fall; but this could easily pass for some attention to Mrs. Makely at a little distance. There were not many people down to breakfast, yet; but I could see that there was a good deal of subdued sensation among the waitresses, standing with folded arms behind their tables, and that the head waiter's handsome face was red with anxiety.

Mrs. Makely asked if we were going to church. She said she was driving that way and would be glad to drop us. "I'm not going myself," she explained, "because I couldn't make anything of the sermon,