life, but the fact remains that as soon as I find myself across the
Channel I want an English breakfast. It seems that I am more
English than certain of the English themselves, and I am sorry that
Mrs. Fothergill has been deprived of her French roll and butter. I
will see that you have it to-morrow, Mrs. Fothergill, and to make
the illusion complete, I will order it to be sent to your room."

"Oh no, Marchesa, that would be giving too much trouble, and I am
sure you want all the help in the house to carry out the service as
exquisitely as you do," said Mrs. Fothergill hurriedly, and
blushing as well as her artistic complexion would allow.

"I fancy," said Mrs. Sinclair, "that foreigners are taking to
English breakfasts as well as English clothes. I noticed when I
was last in Milan that almost every German or Italian ate his two
boiled eggs for breakfast, the sign whereby the Englishman used to
be marked for a certainty."

"The German would probably call for boiled eggs when abroad on
account of the impossibility of getting such things in his own
country. No matter how often you send to the kitchen for properly
boiled eggs in Germany, the result is always the same cold slush,"
said Mrs. Wilding; "and I regret to find that the same plague is
creeping into the English hotels which are served by German
waiters."

"That is quite true," said the Marchesa; "but in England we have no
time to concern ourselves with mere boiled eggs, delicious as they
are. The roll of delicacies is long enough, or even too long
without them. When I am in England, I always lament that we have