I like English people very much, but I cannot help observing that some who are very well born and are supposed to be exceedingly well bred, take advantage of American hospitality in a way in which they would never dream of pursuing with their English hosts.  For instance, Americans were very free in remaining so dangerously close to the dinner hour that we were pushed into inviting them to remain, but never once did they make it obligatory to invite them to remain over night, while no less than half a dozen times during Henley week our English friends said to Jimmie: 

“I say, old man, beastly work getting back to town.  Can’t you put us up for the night?”

As this occurred when every stateroom was filled, even Bee’s sacred duke being among the number of our guests, these self-invited ones remained in every instance when they knew that it would force Jimmie to sleep upon a bench in the dining-room and be seriously inconvenienced.  Toward the end of the week this supreme selfishness which I have noticed so often in otherwise worthy English gentlemen annoyed me to such an extent that with one Englishman who had thus insisted upon dispossessing Jimmie for the second time I resolved to make a test.  So I said to him: 

“Of course it’s a little hard on Jimmie, your way of turning him out of his stateroom to sleep on the table, so, as turn about is fair play, if you’ve quite decided to remain over night, my sister and I will let you have our room and we will sleep on the benches in the dining-room.  Jimmie doesn’t get much sleep you know—­we keep it up so late, and of course you always wake him up when you turn out for your swim at six o’clock in the morning, so if you will promise not to disturb us until seven, and go out through the kitchen for your swim, you can have our room for to-night.”

“Oh, I say!” he replied, “that’s awfully jolly of you.  It is a beastly shame to turn the old man out of his bed two nights in one week, but your boat is the only one on the river where a fellow feels at home, you know.  Besides that, I couldn’t get back to town before ten o’clock to-night if I started now, and where would I get my dinner?  And if I wait to get my dinner here, I’d either have to sleep at Henley or be half the night in getting home.  So you see I’ve got to stay, and thanks awfully for letting me have your room.”

Bee, who was standing near, pushed her veil up and cleared her throat.  She looked at me.

“Did you ever in all your life?” she said.

“No, I never did,” I said.  “I never, never did.”

“Never did what?” said the English gentleman.

“I never saw anybody like you in a book or out of it, but I suppose there are ten thousand more just as good-looking as you are; just as tall and well built and selfish.”

“Selfish,” he blurted out with a very red face.  “What is there selfish about me, I should like to know?  You offered me your room, didn’t you?”