An instant feeling of aversion swept over Merry. He saw the person was a
supercilious Frenchman, critical, sneering, insolent, a man intolerant
with everything not of France and the French.

This man was speaking to another person, who seemed to be a servant or
valet, and who was very polite and fawning in all his retorts.

"Ah! look at ze collectshung on ze pier," continued the sneering
speaker. "Someone say zey belong to ze great American college. Zey act
like zey belong to ze--ze--what you call eet?--ze menageray. Zey yell,
shout, jump--act like ze lunatic."

"It is possible, monsieur," said Frank, with a grim smile, "that they
are copying their manners after Frenchmen at a Dreyfus demonstration."

The foreigner turned haughtily and stared at Frank. Then he shrugged his
shoulders, turned away and observed to his companion:

"Jes' like all ze Americans--ah!--what eez ze word?--fresh."

The other man bowed and rubbed his hands together.

"Haw!" grunted Browning, lazily. "How do you like that, Frank?"

"Oh, I don't mind it," murmured Merry. "I consider the source from which
it came, and regard it as of no consequence."

Diamond was glaring at the Frenchman, for it made his hot Southern blood
boil to hear a foreigner criticize anything American. Like all youthful
Americans, his great admiration and love for his own country made him