W. (_Reflectively._) Well, I don’t know—the problem is so sudden—but I think you may be right: some kinds of death. It is more than likely that a slow, lingering—well, now, there in Canada in the early times a couple of centuries ago, the Indians would take a missionary and skin him, and get some hot ashes and boiling water and one thing and another, and by and by, that missionary—well, yes, I can see that, by and by, talking German could be a pleasant change for him. GEO. Why, of course. Das versteht sich; but _you_ have to always think a thing out, or you’re not satisfied. But let’s not go to bothering about thinking out this present business; we’re here, we’re in for it; you are as moribund to see Annie as I am to see Margaret; you know the terms: we’ve got to speak German. Now stop your mooning and get at your Meisterschaft; we’ve got nothing else in the world. W. Do you think that’ll see us through? GEO. Why it’s _got_ to. Suppose we wandered out of it and took a chance at the language on our own responsibility, where the nation would we be? Up a stump, that’s where. Our only safety is in sticking like wax to the text. W. But what can we talk about? GEO. Why, anything that Meisterschaft talks about. It ain’t our affair. W. I know; but Meisterschaft talks about everything. GEO. And yet don’t talk about anything long enough for it to get embarrassing. Meisterschaft is just splendid for general conversation. W. Yes, that’s so; but it’s so _blamed_ general! Won’t it sound foolish? GEO. Foolish? Why, of course; all German sounds foolish. W. Well, that is true; I didn’t think of that. GEO. Now, don’t fool around any more. Load up; load up; get ready. Fix up some sentences; you’ll need them in two minutes now. (_They walk up and down, moving their lips in dumb-show memorizing._) W. Look here—when we’ve said all that’s in the book on a topic, and want to change the subject, how can we say so?—how would a German say it? GEO. Well, I don’t know. But you know when they mean “Change cars,” they say _Umsteigen_. Don’t you reckon that will answer? W. Tip-top! It’s short and goes right to the point; and it’s got a business whang to it that’s almost American. Umsteigen!—change subject!—why, it’s the very thing. GEO. All right, then, _you_ umsteigen—for I hear them coming. Enter the girls. A. TO W. (_With solemnity._) Guten morgen, mein Herr, es freut mich sehr, Sie zu sehen. W. Guten morgen, mein Fräulein, es freut mich sehr Sie zu sehen. (_Margaret and George repeat the same sentences. Then, after an embarrassing silence, Margaret refers to her book and says_:) M. Bitte, meine Herren, setzen Sie sich.