It was a thrilling experience. I was allowed to handle the levers, ring the bell, and blow the whistle. The engineer and firemen were two new types of men; that in itself would have made the journey more interesting than the stereotyped company of the Pullman. Oh! the joy of flying across the level prairie on a glorious autumn afternoon, with straight shining rails stretching before me, my hand on the bounding pulse of the iron horse,--this was a ride to remember all my life! We made schedule time. When we arrived at Chicago the director told me my only mistake had been to hold open the throttle of the whistle-valve so long that an old lady in the Pullman thought there was an accident. The engineer gallantly explained that the whistle had been to frighten a cow off the track. These are all the details I remember of this journey with my mother; nevertheless I believe it did for me all she hoped. I date from this time the beginning of my better understanding of my own country and my evolution from a New Englander into an American. One other experience my mother was careful to plan; that I should hear Mr. Emerson lecture before we sailed. If I have forgotten the subject of the address, it does not matter, for later on I was to become a devoted Emersonian. What I retain is a strong impression of his personality. I felt that I was in the presence of a very wonderful being. I remember the wisdom and sweetness of his face, the tones of his voice, by turns like a silver trumpet and the soughing of the breeze. His diction, like that of some polished actor of the _Comédie Française_, was such an art that it seemed like nature. After the lecture my mother spoke with Mr. Emerson and his daughter, Miss Ellen. His smile as he turned to speak to me, the touch of his hand on mine, were as a benediction whose influence remained with me through life. CHAPTER X ENGLAND