Everything in Germany--a monument, a railroad station, a simple dining-room device, instantly gave rise to glorious comparisons.

"In France, you do not have this," "Of course, you never saw anything like this in America." Don Marcelo came away fatigued by so much condescension, and his wife and daughter refused to be convinced that the elegance of Berlin could be superior to Paris.

Chichi, with audacious sacrilege, scandalized her cousins by declaring that she could not abide the corseted officers with immovable monocle, who bowed to the women with such automatic rigidity, blending their gallantries with an air of superiority.
Julio, guided by his cousins, was saturated in the virtuous atmosphere of Berlin.

With the oldest, "The Sage," he had nothing to do.

He was a poor creature devoted to his books who patronized all the family with a protecting air.