Ostend must be a glorious place. From an advertisement which has
appeared in an evening contemporary I gather that "the multitude,
anxious to spend an elegant and fashionable sojourn in the country,
has rendered itself this year at Ostend. It is a long time since such
an opulent clientele has been united in a seaside resort. At the fall
of day the vast terraces of the fashionable restaurants, situated
along the sea-bank, present a fairy aspect. There is quite a confusion
of dazzling costumes upon which sparkle thousand gems, and all this
handsome cosmopolitan society passes through the saloons of the
Kursaal Club, in which one hears spoken all known languages as at
Babel and Monte Carlo, and of which the attractions are identical to
those of the latter place." This is the first time I have heard of a
similarity to Babel being mentioned as an attraction. But no doubt an
opulent clientele has peculiar tastes of its own, especially when its
dazzling costumes sparkle with thousand gems.
In a small Belgian town (naturally not Ostend) I once saw
the following notice hung over the door of a washerwoman's
establishment:--
Anglish linge tooke here from 1 sou
Shert, cols, soaks, sleep-shert, pokets.
I eet my hatt.
The last sentence puzzled me for a long time. Finally I came to the
conclusion that it was not intended so much to be a statement of
actual fact as an enticement to English people, who would of course
take all their washing to a lady commanding so gay and accurate a
knowledge of an English catch-phrase.
* * *
My third example of English as she is spoke is from a notice issued by
an out-of-the-way hotel in Italy, which had changed its management:--
"The nobles and noblesses traveller are beg to tell that the direction
of this splendid hotel have bettered himself. And the strangers will
also find high comforting luxuries, hot cold water coffee bath and all
things of perfect establishment and at prices fixed. Table d'hôte
best of Italy France everywere. Onclean linens is quick wash and
every journals is buy for readers. Beds hard or soaft at the taste of
traveller. Soaps everywere plenty. Very cheaper than other hotel. No
mosquits no parrot no rat."
[Illustration: CONSEQUENCES OF THE TOWER OF BABEL