"If we only knew," he said, "what hotel she was going to, we would go to the same. Try and find out, so as to have another opportunity for making her speak." It was not particularly easy, and I did not know what pretext to invent, anxious as I was to make the acquaintance of this unapproachable person. We passed Nice, Monaco, Mentone, and the train stopped at the frontier for the examination of luggage. Although I hate those badly brought-up people who breakfast and dine in railway-carriages, I went and bought a quantity of good things to make one last attack on her by their means. I felt sure that this girl must, ordinarily, be by no means inaccessible. Something had put her out and made her irritable, but very little would suffice, a mere word or some agreeable offer, to decide her and overcome her. We started again, and we three were still alone. I spread my eatables out on the seat. I cut up the fowl, put the slices of ham neatly on a piece of paper, and then carefully laid out our dessert, the strawberries, plums, cherries, and cakes, close to the girl. When she saw that we were going to eat she took a piece of chocolate and two little crisp cakes out of her pocket and began to munch them. "Ask her to have some of ours," Paul said in a whisper. "That is exactly what I want to do, but it is rather a difficult matter." As she, however, glanced from time to time at our provisions, I felt sure that she would still be hungry when she had finished what she had, so as soon as her frugal meal was over, I said to her: "It would be very kind of you if you would take some of this fruit." Again she said "_Mica_," but less crossly than before. "Well, then," I said, "may I offer you a little wine? I see you have not drunk anything. It is Italian wine, and as we are now in your own country, we should be very pleased to see such a pretty Italian mouth accept the offer of its French neighbors." She shook her head slightly, evidently wishing to refuse, but very desirous of accepting, and her mica _this_ time was almost polite. I took the bottle, which was covered with straw in the Italian fashion, and filling the glass I offered it to her. "Please drink it," I said, "to bid us welcome to your country." She took the glass with her usual look, and emptied it at a draught, like a woman tormented with thirst, and then gave it back to me without even saying "Thank you." Then I offered her the cherries. "Please take some," I said; "we shall be so pleased if you will." Out of her corner she looked at all the fruit spread out before her, and said so rapidly that I could scarcely follow her: "_A me non piacciono ne le ciliegie ne le susine; amo soltano le fragole_." "What does she say?" Paul asked. "That she does not care for cherries or plums, but only for strawberries." I put a newspaper full of wild strawberries on her lap, and she ate them quickly, throwing them into her mouth from some distance in a coquettish and charming manner.