But if instead of X. and Y., it is even A. and B., men who have known one another for years, and in every relation but as fellow-travellers, there is risk enough in such a venture.  One night, after dinner at the club, they agree with effusion to take their autumn trip together; they are warm with wine and with the remembrance of their college friendship—­which extended perhaps, when they afterwards come to think about it, a very little way.  What days they will have in Switzerland together!  What mornings (to see the sunrise) upon mountain-tops!  What evenings on Lucerne!  What nights in Paris!  A. thinks himself fortunate indeed in having secured B.’s society for the next three months—­a man with such a reputation for conversation; even T., the cynic of the club, has testified to his charm of manner.  By-the-bye, what was it—­exactly—­T. had said of B.?  A. cannot remember it at the moment, but recalls it on the night before they start together.  ’B. is a charming fellow, only he has this peculiarity—­that if there is only one armchair in a room, B. is sure to get it.’

B., on the other hand, congratulates himself on A.’s excessive good sense, which even T. had knowledged.  What was it—­exactly—­T. had said of A.?  He cannot remember it at the moment, but recalls it on the night before they start together.  ’A. is such a thoroughly practical fellow; he has committed many follies, and not a few crimes, but he can lay his hand on the place where his heart should be, and honestly aver that he has never given sixpence to anybody.’  Full of misgivings, and with demonstrations of satisfaction that are in themselves suspicious, they meet at the terminus.  A. has a little black bag, which contains his all; it frees him from all trouble about luggage, and (especially) from the necessity of paying a porter.  He is resolved not to lose a moment, nor spend a sixpence, in a Custom-house.  To his horror, he perceives that B., whose one idea is comfort, has a portmanteau specially designed for him (apparently upon the model of Noah’s Ark), and which can scarcely be got into the luggage-van.  This article delays them twenty-four hours at every frontier, because the ordinary authorities decline to open it upon the ground that it contains an infernal machine, and have to telegraph to their Government for instructions.

Again, B. is no doubt a charming conversationalist—­in English; but he does not know one single word of any other language.  He requires every observation of their alien fellow-travellers to be translated, and then says ‘Oh!’ discontentedly, or ’It seems to me that foreigners have no ideas.’  And not for one moment can A. get rid of him.  If there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother, it is the Travelling Companion who is dependent upon you for interpretation.  It is needless to say that under these circumstances the glass of Friendship falls from ‘Set Fair’ to ‘Stormy’ with much rapidity.  After A’s fourth quarrel with a waiter about half a franc, B. calls him a ‘mean hound,’ and takes the opportunity of returning to his native land with a French count, who speaks perfect English, and robs him of his watch and chain and the contents of his pocket-book on board the steamer.  A. and B. meet one another daily at the club for years afterwards, but without recognition.