maid would he be familiar. He would just look at each of them with his
grave blue eyes and think only of what she was saying, and not at all
of what sort of an impression he was making, or what she thought of
him. Aiken helped me a lot by making me try not to be like Aiken;
Lowell helped me by making me wish to be like Lowell.

We had a very merry breakfast, and the fact that it was seven in the
morning did not in the least interfere with our drinking each other's
health in a quart of champagne. Nearly all of our officers came in
while we were at breakfast to learn if I were still alive, and Lowell
gave them most marvellous accounts of the affair, sometimes
representing me as an idiot and sometimes as an heroic martyr.

They all asked him if he thought Fiske had sufficient influence at
Washington to cause the Government to give him the use of the Raleigh
against us, but he would only laugh and shake his head.

Later, to Laguerre, he talked earnestly on the same subject, and much
to the point.

The news of the duel had reached the palace at eight o'clock, and the
president at once started for the barracks.

We knew he was coming when we heard the people in the cafes shouting
"Viva," as they always did when he appeared in public, and, though I
was badly frightened as to what he would say to me, I ran to the door
and turned out the guard to receive him.

He had put on one of the foreign uniforms he was entitled to wear--he
did not seem to fancy the one I had designed--and as he rode across