being sprung from a dead and gone family of English gentlemen. Regard for the dead and gone English gentlemen should save them from this affront to their honourable dust.
Perhaps the most amazing thing about the American Bounder after his free and easy familiarities with "Bertie" (the King) "Alex." (the Queen) and "Georgie and May" (the Prince and Princess of Wales) is his overweening, self-satisfied, complacent and arrogant ignorance. The most blatant little local tradesman who, through well-meaning Parliamentary short-sightedness in educational schemes, becomes a "governor" of a Technical School in the provinces, is never so blatantly ignorant as he. He talks of everything and knows nothing. He assumes to have the last word in science, art and literature. He will tell you he is "great chums" with Marconi and Edison, and that these famous discoverers and inventors always lay their heads on his bosom and tell him their dearest confidences. He knows just what is going to be done by everybody with everything. He is friends with the Drama too. Beerbohm Tree rings him up on the telephone at all manner of strange hours, thirsting for his advice on certain "scenes" and "effects." He is—to use his own words—"doing a great thing" for Tree! Sarah Bernhardt is his very dearest of dear ones! She has fallen into his arms, coming off the stage at the side wings, exhausted, and exclaiming—"Toi, mon cher! Enfin! Maintenant, je respire!" Madame Réjane is always at home to him. In fact all Paris hails him with a joy too deep for tears. He would not be a true "Amurrican"
