and a shirtfront adorned with diamond buttons, who every now and
then dropped an absent glance over their multitudinous patience.
They were American citizens doing homage to a hotel clerk.

"I'm glad he didn't tell us to go there," said one of our Englishmen,
alluding to their friend on the steamer, who had told them so many things.
They walked up the Fifth Avenue, where, for instance, he had told
them that all the first families lived. But the first families
were out of town, and our young travelers had only the satisfaction
of seeing some of the second--or perhaps even the third--
taking the evening air upon balconies and high flights of doorsteps,
in the streets which radiate from the more ornamental thoroughfare.
They went a little way down one of these side streets, and they
saw young ladies in white dresses--charming-looking persons--
seated in graceful attitudes on the chocolate-colored steps.
In one or two places these young ladies were conversing across the street
with other young ladies seated in similar postures and costumes
in front of the opposite houses, and in the warm night air their
colloquial tones sounded strange in the ears of the young Englishmen.
One of our friends, nevertheless--the younger one--intimated that
he felt a disposition to interrupt a few of these soft familiarities;
but his companion observed, pertinently enough, that he had
better be careful. "We must not begin with making mistakes,"
said his companion.

"But he told us, you know--he told us," urged the young man,
alluding again to the friend on the steamer.

"Never mind what he told us!" answered his comrade, who, if he had
greater talents, was also apparently more of a moralist.