The young man came forward and clicked heels in the German fashion, but his way of shaking hands, and his easy “How do you do?” were perfectly English. For a moment Brand met his eyes, and found them frank and friendly. He had a vision of this man sitting in Eileen O’Connor’s room, gazing at her with love in his eyes, and, afterwards, embarrassed, shameful, and immensely sad in that trial scene. Elsa also shook hands with him, and helped to break the hard ice of ceremony. “My brother is very glad to meet you. He was at Oxford, you know. Come and sit here. You will take tea, I am sure.” They had prepared tea for him specially, and Elsa served it like an English girl, charmingly. Brand was not an easy conversationalist His drawing-room manners were gauche always, and that evening in the German drawing-room he felt, he told me, “a perfect fool,” and could think of no small-talk. Franz von Kreuzenach helped him out by talking about Oxford, and Brand felt more at ease when he found that the young German officer knew some of his old college friends, and described a “rag” in his own third year. The old Baron sat stiffly, listening with mask-like gravity to this conversation. Elsa laughed without embarrassment at her brother’s description of a “debagging” incident, when the trousers of a Proctor had been removed in “the High,” and the Frau von Kreuzenach permitted herself a wintry smile. “Before the war,” she said, “we wished our children to get an English education. Elsa went to a school at Brighton---- We were very fond of England.” The General joined in the conversation for the first time. “It was a weakness. Without offence, sir, I think that our German youth would have been better employed at German universities, where education is more seriously regarded, and where the national spirit is fostered and strengthened.” Brand announced that he had been to Heidelburg University, and agreed that German students take their studies more seriously than English. “We go to our universities for character more than for knowledge.” “Yes,” said the elder von Kreuzenach. “It is there the English learn their Imperialism and political ambitions. From their point of view they are right. English pride--so arrogant--is a great strength.” Franz von Kreuzenach toned down his father’s remark. “My father uses the word pride in its best sense--pride of race and tradition. Personally, what struck me most at Oxford was the absence of all deliberate philosophical influence. The men were very free in their opinions. Most of those in my set were anti-Imperialists and advanced Liberals, in a light-hearted way. But I fancy most of them did not worry very much about political ideas. They were up for ‘a good time,’ and made the most of Youth, in sport and companionship. They laughed enormously. I think the Germans laugh too little. We are lacking in a national sense of humour, except of a coarse and rustic type.”