Chapter 19 Summary

Twain is impressed by how laid-back Europeans are. He compares them to Americans, who work all day and come home with work still on the mind. In contrast, Europeans work and then come home and forget about it. They take walks, eat ices and relax. One thing, however, that Twain cannot fathom is the lack of soap available in all of the European cities he's visited. While visiting a bathhouse, the men realize — after they've become naked — that there was no soap with which to bathe. When they call for service, a woman enters, which completely embarrasses Twain. He and his friends test hasty combinations of covering themselves up and trying to speak enough of the language to order soap. In the end, Twain comes to the conclusion that these "foreigners" just don't use soap and depend on the "English" to...