It was a wonderful night, calm and still, without a ripple on the lake, and the sky was fulll of stars. A platform had been built in the main street beside the lake, and a lot of important but rather dull-looking men were making speeches - also dull, although I suppose to be fair that they might have been more interesting if we could have understood them. We liked the children better, as they marched along the street, in their tracht, as the national costume is called, each one carrying a lighted lantern; and we liked the band much better - imagine our delight at the end of the speeches when the band suddenly burst into God Save the Queen! We were thrilled, and Thomas thought it was in our honour - and it was not until ages later that we learnt that it wasn't God Save the Queen at all, but the Swiss national Anthem which has the very same tune.
From THE TALL MAN, Chapter 8, The First of August.
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