An American Girl in London

I have written this account only secondarily and at the instigation of publishers for Americans. Primarily I wrote it for the English people. I composed it in their country; it was suggested by their institutions and it is addressed to them. You will see if you read it that I had reasons for doing this. The reasons are in the first chapter at the very beginning. As you have not far to look for them therefore and as it is quite unnecessary to print a thing twice in the same book I will not go over them again. The object of this preface is chiefly to draw your attention to the fact that I am not talking to you dear compatriot so that you will understand that there is no personal ground for any annoyance you may feel at what I say.Notwithstanding this one of the Miss Wastgoggles of Boston has already taken the trouble to send me a rather severely reproachful letter about my impressions and experiences in which she says that she would have written hers if it had ever occurred to her to do so very differently. I have no doubt that this is true. She also begs me to remember that there are a great many different kinds of girls in America numbers of whom are brought up quite as they are in England. It is this remark of hers that makes me quote Miss Wastgoggles. I wish to say in connection with it that while it is unreasonable to apologize for being only one kind of American girl I do not pretend to represent the ideas of any more.Mamie Wick.No. 4000 Prairie Avenue Chicago Illinois November 20 1890.I AM an American Girl. Therefore perhaps you will not be surprised at anything further I may have to say for myself. I have observed since I came to England that this statement made by a third person in connection with any question of my own conduct is always broadly explanatory. And as my own conduct will naturally enter more or less into this volume I may as well make it in the beginning to save complications.It may be necessary at this point to explain further. I know that in England an unmarried person of my age is not expected to talk much especially about herself. This was a little difficult for me to understand at first as I have always talked a great deal and one might say been encouraged to do it; but I have at length been brought to understand it and lately I have spoken with becoming infrequency and chiefly about the Zoo. I find the Zoo to be a subject which is almost certain to be received with approval; and in animal nature there is fortunately a good deal of variety. I do not intend however in this book to talk about the Zoo or anything connected with it but about the general impressions and experiences I have received in your country; and one of my reasons for departing from approved models of discussion for young ladies and striking out as it were into subject-matter on my own account is that I think you may find it more or less interesting. I have noticed that you are pleased over here to bestow rather more attention upon the American Girl than upon any other kind of American that we produce. You have taken the trouble to form opinions about her—I have heard quantities of them. Her behaviour and her bringing-up her idioms and her 'accent'—above all her 'accent'—have made themes for you and you have been good enough to discuss them—Mr. James in your midst correcting and modifying your impressions—with a good deal of animation for you. I observe that she is almost the only frivolous subject that ever gets into your newspapers. I have become accustomed to meeting her there usually at the breakfast-table dressed in green satin and diamonds. The encounter had quite a shock of novelty for me at first but that wore off in time; the green satin and diamonds were so invariable.CONTENTSI. I AM an American Girl. Therefore perhaps you will not be surprised at anything further I ...II. I AM not much acquainted in New York so I had only poppa and Mr. Winte