“I really can’t find out,” responded Leonore, with a puzzled look.  “People say you are not.”

“I didn’t think you would fail me after the other night.”

“Ah,” said madame.  “The quiet men are the great men.  Look at the French.”

“Oh, madame!” exclaimed Leonore.

“You are joking” cried Mrs. D’Alloi.

“That’s delicious,” laughed Watts.

“Whew,” said Le Grand, under his breath.

“Ah!  Why do you cry out?  Mr. Stirling, am I not right?” Madame appealed to the one face on which no amusement or skepticism was shown.

“I think it is rather dangerous to ascribe any particular trait to any nationality.  It is usually misleading.  But most men who think much, talk little, and the French have many thinkers”

“I always liked Von Moltke, just for it being said of him that he could be silent in seven languages,” said Le Grand.

“Yes,” said Leonore.  “It’s so restful.  We crossed on the steamer with a French Marquis who can speak six languages, and can’t say one thing worth listening to in any.”

Peter thought the soup all Jenifer had cracked it up to be.

“Peter,” said Leonore, turning to him, “Mr. Le Grand said that you never will talk politics with anybody.  That doesn’t include me, of course?”

“No,” said Peter promptly.

“I thought it didn’t,” said Leonore, her eyes dancing with pleasure, however, at the reply.  “We had Mr. Pell to lunch to-day and I spoke to him as to what you said about the bosses, and he told me that bosses could never be really good, unless the better element were allowed to vote, and not the saloon-keepers and roughs.  I could see he was right, at once.”

“From his point of view.  Or rather the view of his class.”

“Don’t you think so?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Broadly speaking, all persons of sound mind are entitled to vote on the men and the laws which are to govern them.  Aside from this, every ounce of brain or experience you can add to the ballot, makes it more certain.  Suppose you say that half the people are too ignorant to vote sensibly.  Don’t you see that there is an even chance, at least, that they’ll vote rightly, and if the wrong half carries the election, it is because more intelligent people have voted wrongly, have not voted, or have not taken the trouble to try and show the people the right way, but have left them to the mercies of the demagogue.  If we grant that every man who takes care of himself has some brain, and some experience, his vote is of some value, even if not a high one.  Suppose we have an eagle, and a thousand pennies.  Are we any better off by tossing away the coppers, because each is worth so little.  That is why I have always advocated giving the franchise to women.  If we can add ten million voters to an election, we have added just so much knowledge to it, and made it just so much the harder to mislead or buy enough votes to change results.”