Madeleine puzzled herself in vain to find out whether he did this because he knew no better, or because he meant to cover his own ignorance.
"The Baron has amused me very much with his account of Bucharest society," Mrs.Lee would say: "I had no idea it was so gay." "I would like to show him our society in Peonia," was Ratcliffe's reply; "he would find a very brilliant circle there of nature's true noblemen." "The Baron says their politicians are precious sharp chaps," added Mr.
French.
"Oh, there are politicians in Bulgaria, are there ?" asked the Senator, whose ideas of the Roumanian and Bulgarian neighbourhood were vague, and who had a general notion that all such people lived in tents, wore sheepskins with the wool inside, and ate curds: "Oh, they have politicians there! I would like to see them try their sharpness in the west." "Really!" said Mrs.Lee.

"Think of Attila and his hordes running an Indiana caucus ?" "Anyhow," cried French with a loud laugh, "the Baron said that a set of bigger political scoundrels than his friends couldn't be found in all Illinois." "Did he say that ?" exclaimed Ratcliffe angrily.
"Didn't he, Mrs.Lee?
but I don't believe it; do you?
What's your candid opinion, Ratcliffe?
What you don't know about Illinois politics isn't worth knowing; do you really think those Bulgrascals couldn't run an Illinois state convention ?" Ratcliffe did not like to be chaffed, especially on this subject, but he could not resent French's liberty which was only a moderate return for the wooden nutmeg.

To get the conversation away from Europe, from literature, from art, was his great object, and chaff was a way of escape.
Carrington was very well aware that the weak side of the Senator lay in his blind ignorance of morals.

He flattered himself that Mrs.Lee must see this and be shocked by it sooner or later, so that nothing more was necessary than to let Ratcliffe expose himself.

Without talking very much, Carrington always aimed at drawing him out.