WhenwesaidthatweweregoingtoScheveningen，inthemiddleofSeptember，theportierofthehotelatTheHaguewassureweshouldbeverycold，perhapsbecausewehadsufferedsomuchinhishousealready;
andhewasright，forthewindblewwithaDutchtenacityofpurposeforawholeweek，sothatthegueststhinlypeoplingthevasthostelryseemedtorustlethroughitschillyhallsandcorridorslikesomanyautumnleaves.Wewerebutapoorhundredatmostwherefivehundredwouldnothavebeenacrowd;and，whenwesatdownatthelongtablesd\'hoteinthegreatdining—room，wehadtowarmourhandswithourplatesbeforewecouldholdourspoons.Fromtimetotimetheweathervaried，asitdoesinEurope（Americanweatherisofanexemplaryconstancyincomparison），andthreeorfourtimesadayitrained，andthreeorfourtimesitcleared;butthroughallthewindblewcoldandcolder.Wewerepromised，however，thatthehotelwouldnotclosetillOctober，andwemadeshift，withawarmchimneyinoneroomandthreegas—burnersinanother，ifnottokeepwarmquite，yetcertainlytogetusedtothecold.
I.
Inthemeantimethesea—bathingwentresolutelyonwithallitsforms.
Everymorningthebathingmachinesweredrawndowntothebeachfromtheesplanade，wheretheyweresecuredagainstthegaleeverynight;andeverydayahalf—dozenhardyinvalidsbravedtherigorsofwindandwave.
Atthediscreetdistancewhichoneoughtalwaystokeeponecouldnotalwaysbesurewhethertheseboldbathersweremermenormermaids;fortheseacostumeofbothsexesisthesamehere，asregardsanabsenceofskirtsandapresenceofwhatare，afterthefirstplunge，effectivelytights.ThefirsttimeIwalkeddowntothebeachIwaspuzzledtomakeoutsomeobjectrollingaboutinthelowsurf，whichlookedlikeabarrel，andwhichtwobathing—machinemenwerewatchingwithapparentlythepurposeoffishingitout.Suddenlythisobjectreareditselffromthesurfandflounderedtowardsthestepsofamachine;thenIsawthatitwasevidentlynotabarrel，butalady，andafterthatIneverdaredcarrymyresearchessofar.Isupposethatthebathing—tightsaremorebecominginsomecasesthaninothers;butIholdtoamodestpreferenceforskirts，howeverbrief，inthesea—gearofladies.Withoutthemtheremaysometimesbetheeffectofbeauty，andsometimestheeffectofbarrel.
Fortheconvenienceandsafetyofthebatherstherewere，eveninthelasthalfofSeptember，sometwentymachines，andhalfasmanybath—menandbath—women，whowadedintothewaterandwatchedthatthebatherscametonoharm，insteadofasolitarylifeguardshowinghisstatuesqueshapeashepacedtheshorebesidethelifelines，orcynicallyrockedinhisboatbeyondthebreakers，asthecustomisonLongIsland.Herethereisnoneedoflife—lines，and，unlessoneheldhisheadresolutelyunderwater，Idonotseehowhecoulddrownwithinquarterofamileoftheshore.Perhapsitistopreventsuicidethatthebathmenaresoplentifullyprovided.
Theyareaprovisionofthehotel，Ibelieve，whichdoesnotrelaxitselfinanyessentialtowardsitsguestsastheygrowfewer.Itseems，onthecontrary，tousethemwithamoretendercare，andtoconsolethemasitmayfortheinevitablepartingnearathand.Now，withinthreeorfourdaysoftheend，thekitchenisasscrupulouslyandvigilantlyperfectasitcouldbeintheheightoftheseason;andourdwindlingnumberssitdowneverynighttoadinnerthatwecouldnotgetformuchmoreloveorvastlymoremoneyinthemonthofAugust，atanyshorehotelinAmerica.
Itistruethattherearecertainchangesgoingon，buttheyaregoingondelicately，almostsilently.Astripofcarpetinghascomeupfromalongourcorridor，butwehardlymissitfromthemattingwhichremains.
Throughtheopendoorsofvacantchamberswecanseethatbedsarecomingdown，andthedismantlingextendsintothehallsatplaces.Certaindecorativecarvedchairswhichrepeatedthemselvesoutsidethedoorshaveceasedtobethere;butthepicturesstillhangonthewalls，andwithinourownroomseverythingisasconscientiousasinmidsummer.Theserviceisinstant，and，ifthereissomechangeinit，thechangeisnotfortheworse.Yesterdayourwaiterbademegood—bye，andwhenIsaidI
wassorryhewasgoingheallegedaboilonhischeekinexcuse;hewouldnotallowthathisgoinghadanythingtodowiththeclosingofthehotel，andhewaspromptlyreplacedbyanotherwhospeaksexcellentEnglish.Nowthatthefirstisgone，Imayownthatheseemednottospeakanyforeignlanguagelong，but，whencorneredinEnglish，tookrefugeinFrench，andthenfledfrompursuitinthattoGerman，andbroughtupinfinalDutch，wherehewaspracticallyinaccessible.
Theelevatorrunsregularly，ifnotrapidly;thepapersarriveunfailinglyinthereading—room，includingasolitaryLondonTimes，whichevenIdonotread，perhapsbecauseIhavenoEnglish—readingrivaltocontendforitwith.Tillyesterday，anEnglishartistsometimesgotit;
buthetheninstantlyofferedittome;andIhadtorefuseitbecauseI
wouldnotbeoutdoneinpoliteness.Nowevenheisgone，andonallsidesIfindmyselfinanunbrokencircleofDutchandGerman，wherenoonewoulddisputetheTimeswithmeifhecould.
Everynightthecorridorsarefullylighted，andsomemorningsswept，whilethewashingthatgoesonalloverHolland，nightandmorning，doesnotalwaysspareourunfrequentedhallsandstairs.Inotetheselittlefacts，forthecontrastwiththoseofanAmericanhotelwhichweonceassistedinclosing，andwheretheelevatorstoppedtwoweeksbeforeweleft，andwefellfromelectricitytonaphtha—gas，andeventhisdiedoutbeforeusexceptatlongintervalsinthepassages;whiletherewerelightningchangesintheservice，andafinalfailureofittillwehadtogodownandgetourownice—waterofthelingeringroom—clerk，afterthelastbell—boyhadwinkedout.
II.
ButinEuropeeverythingispermanent，andinAmericaeverythingisprovisional.Thisisthegreatdistinctionwhich，ifalwayskeptinmind，willsaveagreatdealofidleastonishment.ItisinnothingmoreapparentthaninthepreparationhereatScheveningenforcenturiesofsummervisitors，whileatourLongIslandhoteltherewasalosingbetonascantgenerationofthem.Whenitseemedlikelythatitmightbeawinningbetthesandwasplankedthereinfrontofthehoteltotheseawithspruceboards.Itwasveryhandsomelyplanked，butitwasneverafterwardstouched，apparently，foranymannerofrepairs.Here，forhalfamiletheduneonwhichthehotelstandsisshoredupwithmassivemasonry，andbrickedforcarriages，andtiledforfoot—passengers;anditisallkeptascleanasifwheelorfoothadneverpassedoverit.Iamsurethatthereisnotabrokenbrickorabrokentileinthewholelengthorbreadthofit.Butthehotelhereisnotabet;itisabusiness.Ithascometostay;andonLongIslandithadcometoseehowitwouldlikeit.
Beyondthewalkanddrive，however，thedunesarelefttothewinds，andtothevegetationwithwhichtheDutchplantingclothesthemagainstthewinds.Firstacoarsegrassorrushissown;thenafinerherbagecomes;
thenatoughbrushwood，withflowersandblackberry—vines;sothatwhiletheseawardslopesofthedunesaresomewhatpatchedandtattered，thelandwardsideandallthepleasanthollowsbetweenarefairlyheldagainstsuchgalesasonLongIslandblowthelowerduneshitherandyon.