But I did not want the people to guess my ignorance; but I had a very good idea. I watched the two students, who understood German, and followed them. When they tittered, I tittered; when they roared, I roared; and I also laughed myself occasionally, as if I had seen something funny that the others had missed. I thought this was very clever on my part.
I noticed, as the song progressed, that a lot of people seemed to be watching the two young men too, these other people also tittered when the young men tittered, and roared when the young men roared; and, since the young men tittered and roared continuously all through the song, it went very well.
And yet the German professor did not seem happy. At first, when we began to laugh the expression on his face was one of the intense surprise, as if laughter were the very last thing he had expected.
