The joke is the same as in the story of the Englishman who mistook the American ambassador in his plain evening dress for a waiter, and gave him the order, “Call me a cab,” to which Ambassador Choate replied, “You’re a cab,” and afterwards defended himself by saying, “He asked me to call him a cab, and I did; and I would have called him a han’som’ cab if he hadn’t been so ugly.” But in English the troublesome words are a mere ambiguity; in German it is a case of erroneously using for the one sense the forms that properly convey the other sense, so that the interpretation which the father-in-law puts upon the suitor’s words, strained as it looks in the translation, is really the only interpretation which the words as spoken will bear.—TRANSLATOR. Footnote 9: Observe that previous to 1870 it was patriotic, not unpatriotic, for a Bavarian to speak of an Austrian as a fellow-countryman. It is quite likely, however, that the land of Parnassus is here meant.—TRANSLATOR. Footnote 10: The centennial anniversary of Schiller’s birth.—TRANSLATOR. Footnote 11: Schiller’s birthday.—TRANSLATOR. Footnote 12: If the illegible word is a proper name, it should be a masculine name of four syllables with accent on the third. If not a proper name, it should be preceded by “the” in the translation.—TRANSLATOR. Footnote 13: Too great a reward for my poor labors is the sympathy of so courteous and lofty a soul as is manifested in the letter which you have done me the honor to write to me. In such a soul it is a matter of course that indulgence also must find a place; and if in this case it is excessive, this is one reason the more why it should arouse in me a lively sense of gratitude. For the rest, excess in kindly feelings is one of the least dangerous disorders in this world. May God preserve and reward the noble inclinations which he has bestowed upon you. Pray accept the respectful expression of my gratitude, and the assurance of the high esteem with which I have the honor of signing myself Your most humble and devoted servant Alessandro Manzoni Footnote 14: Compare the dates of the autographs in the preceding chapter.—TRANSLATOR. Footnote 15: Both titles are “countess” in English; but in German _Gräfin_ is the count’s wife or widow, _Komtesse_ his unmarried daughter.—TRANSLATOR. Footnote 16: