Little women

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE OUR FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT

LONDON 

Dearest People, Here I really sit at a front window of the Bath Hotel,Piccadilly. It's not a fashionable place, but Uncle stopped here years ago, andwon't go anywhere else. However, we don't mean to stay long, so it's no greatmatter. Oh, I can't begin to tell you how I enjoy it all! I never can, so I'll onlygive you bits out of my notebook, for I've done nothing but sketch andscribble since I started. 

I sent a line from Halifax, when I felt pretty miserable, but after that I got ondelightfully, seldom ill, on deck all day, with plenty of pleasant people toamuse me. Everyone was very kind to me, especially the officers. Don'tlaugh, Jo, gentlemen really are very necessary aboard ship, to hold on to, orto wait upon one, and as they have nothing to do, it's a mercy to make themuseful, otherwise they would smoke themselves to death, I'm afraid.

Aunt and Flo were poorly all the way, and liked to be let alone, so when I haddone what I could for them, I went and enjoyed myself. Such walks on deck,such sunsets, such splendid air and waves! It was almost as exciting as ridinga fast horse, when we went rushing on so grandly. I wish Beth could havecome, it would have done her so much good. As for Jo, she would have goneup and sat on the maintop jib, or whatever the high thing is called, madefriends with the engineers, and tooted on the captain's speaking trumpet, she'dhave been in such a state of rapture. 

It was all heavenly, but I was glad to see the Irish coast, and found it verylovely, so green and sunny, with brown cabins here and there, ruins on someof the hills, and gentlemen's countryseats in the valleys, with deer feeding inthe parks. It was early in the morning, but I didn't regret getting up to see it,for the bay was full of little boats, the shore so picturesque, and a rosy skyoverhead. I never shall forget it. 

At Queenstown one of my new acquaintances left us, Mr. Lennox, and whenI said something about the Lakes of Killarney, he sighed, and sung, with alook at me...

"Oh, have you e'er heard of Kate Kearney? 

She lives on the banks of Killarney; 

From the glance of her eye, 

Shun danger and fly, 

For fatal's the glance of Kate Kearney." 

Wasn't that nonsensical? 

We only stopped at Liverpool a few hours. It's a dirty, noisy place, and I wasglad to leave it. Uncle rushed out and bought a pair of dogskin gloves, someugly, thick shoes, and an umbrella, and got shaved à la mutton chop, the firstthing. Then he flattered himself that he looked like a true Briton, but the firsttime he had the mud cleaned off his shoes, the little bootblack knew that anAmerican stood in them, and said, with a grin, "There yer har, sir. I've given'em the latest Yankee shine." It amused Uncle immensely. Oh, I must tell youwhat that absurd Lennox did! He got his friend Ward, who came on with us,to order a bouquet for me, and the first thing I saw in my room was a lovelyone, with "Robert Lennox's compliments," on the card. Wasn't that fun, girls?I like traveling. 

I never shall get to London if I don't hurry. The trip was like riding through along picture gallery, full of lovely landscapes. The farmhouses were mydelight, with thatched roofs, ivy up to the eaves, latticed windows, and stoutwomen with rosy children at the doors. The very cattle looked more tranquilthan ours, as they stood knee-deep in clover, and the hens had a contentedcluck, as if they never got nervous like Yankee biddies. Such perfect color Inever saw, the grass so green, sky so blue, grain so yellow, woods so dark, Iwas in a rapture all the way. So was Flo, and we kept bouncing from one sideto the other, trying to see everything while we were whisking along at the rateof sixty miles an hour. Aunt was tired and went to sleep, but Uncle read hisguidebook, and wouldn't be astonished at anything. This is the way we wenton. Amy, flying up—"Oh, that must be Kenilworth, that gray place among thetrees!" Flo, darting to my window—"How sweet! We must go there sometime,won't we Papa?" Uncle, calmly admiring his boots—"No, my dear, not unlessyou want beer, that's a brewery."