首页
Diary of a Pilgrimage
书架
书页 | 目录
加书签

第2章
23080字

Itwasnogoodthesepeoplepretendingthattheydidnotunderstandtheirownlanguage,andputtingmeoffthatway。Theyhadgottounderstanditthistime。Thiswasnomerequestionofcoffeeandrolls;thiswasaseriousbusiness。IwouldmakethatwaiterunderstandmyScandinavian,ifIhadtohammeritintohisheadwithhisowncoffee-pot!

Iseizedhimbythearm,and,inScandinavianthatmusthavebeenquitepatheticinitstragicfervour,Iaskedhimifhehadseenmyfriend——myfriendB。

Themanonlystared。

Igrewdesperate。Ishookhim。Isaid:

"Myfriend——big,great,tall,large——ishewhere?Haveyouhimtoseewhere?Here?"

(IhadtoputitthatwaybecauseScandinaviangrammarisnotastrongpointwithme,andmyknowledgeoftheverbsisasyetlimitedtothepresenttenseoftheinfinitivemood。Besides,thiswasnotimetoworryaboutgraceofstyle。)

Acrowdgatheredroundus,attractedbytheman’sterrifiedexpression。Iappealedtothemgenerally。Isaid:

"MyfriendB。——head,red——boots,yellow,brown,gold——coat,littlesquares——nose,much,large!Ishewhere?Himtosee——anybody——

where?"

Notasoulmovedahandtohelpme。Theretheystoodandgaped!

Irepeateditalloveragainlouder,incaseanybodyontheoutskirtsofthemobhadnotheardit;andIrepeateditinanentirelynewaccent。IgavethemeverychanceIcould。

Theychattedexcitedlyamongthemselves,and,thenabrightideaseemedtostrikeoneofthem,alittlemoreintelligent-lookingthantherest,andherushedoutsideandbeganrunningupanddown,callingoutsomethingveryloudly,inwhichtheword"Norwegian"

keptonoccurring。

Hereturnedinafewseconds,evidentlyexceedinglypleasedwithhimself,accompaniedbyakindly-lookingoldgentlemaninawhitehat。

Waywasmadeinthecrowd,andtheoldgentlemanpressedforward。

Whenhegotnear,hesmiledatme,andthenproceededtoaddresstomealengthy,butnodoubtkindlymeant,speechinScandinavian。

Ofcourse,itwasallutterlyunintelligibletomefrombeginningtoend,andmyfaceclearlyshowedthis。IcangraspawordortwoofScandinavianhereandthere,ifpronouncedslowlyanddistinctly;

butthatisall。

Theoldgentlemanregardedmewithgreatsurprise。Hesaid(inScandinavian,ofcourse):

"YouspeakNorwegian?"

Ireplied,inthesametongue:

"Alittle,averylittle——VERY。"

Heseemednotonlydisappointed,butindignant。Heexplainedthemattertothecrowd,andtheyallseemedindignant。

WHYeverybodyshouldbeindignantwithmeIcouldnotcomprehend。

ThereareplentyofpeoplewhodonotunderstandScandinavian。ItwasabsurdtobevexedwithmebecauseIdidnot。Idoknowalittle,andthatismorethansomepeopledo。

IinquiredoftheoldgentlemanaboutB。Hedidunderstandme。I

mustgivehimcreditforthat。Butbeyondunderstandingme,hewasofnomoreusethantheothers;andwhytheyhadtakensomuchtroubletofetchhim,Icouldnotimagine。

Whatwouldhavehappenedifthedifficultyhadcontinuedmuchlonger(forIwasgettingthoroughlywildwiththelotofthem)Icannotsay。Fortunately,atthismomentIcaughtsightofB。himself,whohadjustenteredtheroom。

IcouldnothavegreetedhimmoreheartilyifIhadwantedtoborrowmoneyofhim。

"Well,IAMgladtoseeyouagain!"Icried。"Well,thisIS

pleasant!IthoughtIhadlostyou!"

"Why,youareEnglish!"criedouttheoldgentlemaninthewhitehat,inverygoodSaxon,onhearingmespeaktoB。

"Well,Iknowthat,"Ireplied,"andI’mproudofit。HaveyouanyobjectiontomybeingEnglish?"

"Notintheleast,"heanswered,"ifyou’donlytalkEnglishinsteadofNorwegian。I’mEnglishmyself;"andhewalkedaway,evidentlymuchpuzzled。

B。saidtomeaswesatdown:

"I’lltellyouwhat’sthematterwithyou,J。——youknowtoomanylanguagesforthiscontinent。Yourlinguisticpowerswillbetheruinofusifyoudon’tholdtheminabit。Youdon’tknowanySanscritorChaldean,doyou?"

IrepliedthatIdidnot。

"AnyHebreworChinese?"

"Notaword。"

"Sure?"

"Notsomuchasafullstopinanyofthem。"

"That’sablessing,"saidB。,muchrelieved。"Youwouldbetryingtopalmoffoneorotherofthemonsomesimple-mindedpeasantforGerman,ifyoudid!"

Itisawearisomejourney,throughthelong,hothoursofthemorning,toCologne。Thecarriageisstifling。Railwaytravellers,Ihavealwaysnoticed,regardfreshairaspoison。Theyliketoliveontherefuseofeachother’sbreath,andcloseupeverywindowandventilatortight。Thesunpoursdownthroughglassandblindandscorchesourlimbs。Ourheadsandourbodiesache。Thedustandsootdriftinandsettleonourclothes,andgrimeourhandsandface。Wealldozeandwakeupwithastart,andfalltosleepagainuponeachother。Iwake,andfindmyneighbourwithhisheaduponmyshoulder。Itseemsashametocasthimoff;helookssotrustful。Butheisheavy。Ipushhimontothemantheotherside。Heisjustashappythere。Werollabout;andwhenthetrainjerks,webutteachotherwithourheads。Thingsfallfromtherackuponus。Welookupsurprised,andgotosleepagain。Mybagtumblesdownupontheheadoftheunjustmaninthecorner。(Isitretribution?)Hestartsup,begsmypardon,andsinksbackintooblivion。Iamtoosleepytopickupthebag。Itliesthereonthefloor。Theunjustmanusesitforafootstool。

Welookout,throughhalf-closedeyes,upontheparched,level,treelessland;uponthelittlepatchworkfarmsofcornandbeetroot,oatsandfruit,growingundivided,sidebyside,eachlookinglikealittlegardendroppeddownintotheplain;uponthelittledullstonehouses。

Asteepleappearsfarawayuponthehorizon。(Thefirstthingthatweaskofmenistheirfaith:"Whatdoyoubelieve?"Thefirstthingthattheyshowusistheirchurch:"THISwebelieve。")Thenatallchimneyrangesitselfalongside。(Firstfaith,thenworks。)

Thenaconfusedjumbleofroofs,outofwhich,atlast,standforthindividualhouses,factories,streets,andwedrawupinasleepingtown。

Peopleopenthecarriagedoor,andlookinuponus。Theydonotappeartothinkmuchofus,andclosethedooragainquickly,withabang,andwesleeponcemore。

Aswerumbleon,thecountryslowlywakes。RudeV-shapedcarts,drawnbyyokedoxen,andevensometimesbycows,waitpatientlywhilewecrossthelong,straightroadsstretchingbareformanyamileacrosstheplain。Peasantstrudgealongthefieldstowork。

Smokerisesfromthevillagesandfarm-houses。Passengersarewaitingatthewaysidestations。

Towardsmid-day,onlookingout,weseetwotinyspiresstandingsidebysideagainstthesky。Theyseemtobetwins,andgrowtallerasweapproach。IdescribethemtoB。,andhesaystheyarethesteeplesofCologneCathedral;andweallbegintoyawnandstretch,andtocollectourbagsandcoatsandumbrellas。

HALFOFSATURDAY24TH,ANDSOMEOFSUNDAY,25TH

DifficultyofKeepingthisDiary。——ABigWash。——TheGermanBed。——ItsGoingsOn。——MannersandCustomsoftheGermanArmy。——B。’sBesettingSin。——CologneCathedral。——ThoughtsWithoutWords。——ACuriousCustom。

Thisdiaryisgettingmixed。Thetruthis,Iamnotlivingasamanwhokeepsadiaryshouldlive。Iought,ofcourse,tositdowninfrontofthisdiaryateleveno’clockatnight,andwritedownallthathasoccurredtomeduringtheday。Butateleveno’clockatnight,Iaminthemiddleofalongrailwayjourney,orhavejustgotup,oramjustgoingtobedforacoupleofhours。Wegotobedatoddmoments,whenwehappentocomeacrossabed,andhaveafewminutestospare。Wehavebeentobedthisafternoon,andarenowhavinganotherbreakfast;andIamnotquitesurewhetheritisyesterdayorto-morrow,orwhatdayitis。

Ishallnotattempttowriteupthisdiaryintheorthodoxmanner,therefore;butshallfixinafewlineswheneverIhavehalf-an-hourwithnothingbettertodo。

WewashedourselvesintheRhineatCologne(wehadnothadawashsincewehadleftourhappyhomeinEngland)。Westartedwiththeideaofwashingourselvesatthehotel;butonseeingthebasinandwaterandtowelprovided,Idecidednottowastemytimeplayingwiththem。AswellmightHerculeshaveattemptedtotidyuptheAugeanstableswithasquirt。

Weappealedtothechambermaid。Weexplainedtoherthatwewantedtowash——tocleanourselves——nottoblowbubbles。Couldwenothavebiggerbasinsandmorewaterandmoreextensivetowels?Thechambermaid(astaidoldladyofaboutfifty)didnotthinkthatanythingbettercouldbedoneforusbythehotelfraternityofCologne,andseemedtothinkthattheriverwasmorewhatwewanted。

Ifanciedthattheoldsoulwasspeakingsarcastically,butB。said"No;"shewasthinkingofthebathsalongsidetheriver,andsuggestedthatweshouldgothere。Iagreed。Itseemedtomethattheriver——theRhine——would,ifanythingcould,meetthecase。

Thereoughttobeplentyofwaterinitnow,aftertheheavyspringrains。

WhenIsawit,Ifeltsatisfied。IsaidtoB。:

"That’sallright,oldman;that’sthesortofthingweneed。ThatisjustthesizedriverIfeelIcangetmyselfcleaninthisafternoon。"

IhaveheardagooddealinpraiseoftheRhine,andIamgladtobeabletospeakwellofitmyself。Ifounditmostrefreshing。

Iwas,however,sorrythatwehadwashedinitafterwards。IhaveheardfromfriendswhohavetravelledsinceinGermanythatwecompletelyspoiledthatriverfortherestoftheseason。Notforbusinesspurposes,Idonotmean。Thebargetraffichasbeen,comparativelyspeaking,uninterferedwith。Butthetouristtradehassufferedterribly。PartieswhousuallygouptheRhinebysteamerhave,afterlookingattheriver,gonebytrainthisyear。

TheboatagentshavetriedtopersuadethemthattheRhineisalwaysthatcolour:thatitgetslikethatowingtothedirtandrefusewasheddownintoitduringitscourseamongthemountains。

Butthetouristshaverefusedtoacceptthisexplanation。Theyhavesaid:

"No。Mountainswillaccountforagooddeal,weadmit,butnotforallTHAT。WeareacquaintedwiththeordinaryconditionoftheRhine,andalthoughmuddy,andattimesunpleasant,itispassable。

Asitisthissummer,however,wewouldprefernottotraveluponit。Wewillwaituntilafternextyear’sspring-floods。"

Wewenttobedafterourwash。TotheblaseEnglishbed-goer,accustomedallhislifetothesameoldhackneyedstyleofbednightafternight,thereissomethingverypleasantlypiquantabouttheexperienceoftryingtosleepinaGermanbed。Hedoesnotknowitisabedatfirst。Hethinksthatsomeonehasbeengoingroundtheroom,collectingallthesacksandcushionsandantimacassarsandsucharticlesthathehashappenedtofindabout,andhaspiledthemuponawoodentrayreadyformoving。Heringsforthechambermaid,andexplainstoherthatshehasshownhimintothewrongroom。Hewantedabedroom。

Shesays:"ThisISabedroom。"

Hesays:"Where’sthebed?"

"There!"shesays,pointingtotheboxonwhichthesacksandantimacassarsandcushionsliepiled。

"That!"hecries。"HowamIgoingtosleepinthat?"

Thechambermaiddoesnotknowhowheisgoingtosleepthere,neverhavingseenagentlemangotosleepanywhere,andnotknowinghowtheysetaboutit;butsuggeststhathemighttrylyingdownflat,andshuttinghiseyes。

"Butitisnotlongenough,"hesays。

Thechambermaidthinkshewillbeabletomanage,ifhetuckshislegsup。

Heseesthathewillnotgetanythingbetter,andthathemustputupwithit。

"Oh,verywell!"hesays。"Looksharpandgetitmade,then。"

Shesays:"Itismade。"

Heturnsandregardsthegirlsternly。Isshetakingadvantageofhisbeingalonelystranger,farfromhomeandfriends,tomockhim?

Hegoesovertowhatshecallsthebed,andsnatchingoffthetop-

mostsackfromthepileandholdingitup,says:

"Perhapsyou’lltellmewhatthisis,then?"

"That,"saysthegirl,"that’sthebed!"

Heissomewhatnonplussedattheunexpectedreply。

"Oh!"hesays。"Oh!thebed,isit?Ithoughtitwasapincushion!

Well,ifitisthebed,thenwhatisitdoingouthere,onthetopofeverythingelse?YouthinkthatbecauseI’monlyaman,Idon’tunderstandabed!"

"That’stheproperplaceforit,"respondsthechambermaid。

"What!ontop?"

"Yes,sir。"

"Well,thenwherearetheclothes?"

"Underneath,sir。"

"Lookhere,mygoodgirl,"hesays;"youdon’tunderstandme,orI

don’tunderstandyou,oneortheother。WhenIgotosleep,Ilieonabedandpulltheclothesoverme。Idon’twanttolieontheclothes,andcovermyselfwiththebed。Thisisn’tacomicballet,youknow!"

Thegirlassureshimthatthereisnomistakeaboutthematteratall。Thereisthebed,madeaccordingtoGermannotionsofhowabedshouldbemade。Hecanmakethebestofitandtrytogotosleepuponit,orhecanbesulkyandgotosleeponthefloor。

Heisverymuchsurprised。Itlookstohimthesortofbedthatamanwouldmakeforhimselfoncominghomelatefromaparty。Butitisnousearguingthematterwiththegirl。

"Allright,"hesays;"bringmeapillow,andI’llriskit!"

Thechambermaidexplainsthattherearetwopillowsonthebedalready,indicating,asshedoesso,twoflatcushions,eachoneayardsquare,placedoneontopoftheotheratoneendofthemixture。

"These!"exclaimsthewearytraveller,beginningtofeelthathedoesnotwanttogotobedatall。"Thesearenotpillows!Iwantsomethingtoputmyheadon;notathingthatcomesdowntothemiddleofmyback!Don’ttellmethatI’vegottosleeponthesethings!"

Butthegirldoestellhimso,andalsoimpliesthatshehassomethingelsetodothantostandtherealldaytalkingbed-gossipwithhim。

"Well,justshowmehowtostart,"hesays,"whichwayyougetintoit,andthenIwon’tkeepyouanylonger;I’llpuzzleouttherestformyself。"

Sheexplainsthetricktohimandleaves,andheundressesandcrawlsin。

Thepillowsgivehimagooddealofworry。Hedoesnotknowwhetherheismeanttositonthemormerelytoleanupagainstthem。Inexperimentinguponthispoint,hebumpshisheadagainstthetopboardofthebedstead。Atthis,hesays,"Oh!"andshootshimselfdowntothebottomofthebed。Hereallhistentoessimultaneouslycomeintosharpcontactwiththeboardatthebottom。

Nothingirritatesamanmorethanbeingrappedoverthetoes,especiallyifhefeelsthathehasdonenothingtodeserveit。Hesays,"Oh,damn!"thistime,andspasmodicallydoublesuphislegs,thusgivinghiskneesaviolentblowagainsttheboardatthesideofthebed。(TheGermanbedstead,beitremembered,isbuiltintheformofashallow,openbox,andthevictimisthuscompletelysurroundedbysolidpiecesofwoodwithsharpedges。Idonotknowwhatspeciesofwooditisthatisemployed。Itisextremelyhard,andgivesforthacuriousmusicalsoundwhenstrucksharplywithabone。)

Afterthisheliesperfectlystillforawhile,wonderingwhereheisgoingtobehitnext。Findingthatnothinghappens,hebeginstoregainconfidence,andventurestogentlyfeelaroundwithhisleftlegandtakestockofhisposition。

Forclothes,hehasonlyaverythinblanketandsheet,andbeneaththesehefeelsdecidedlychilly。Thebediswarmenough,sofarasitgoes,butthereisnotenoughofit。Hedrawsituproundhischin,andthenhisfeetbegintofreeze。Hepushesitdownoverhisfeet,andthenallthetoppartofhimshivers。

Hetriestorollupintoaball,soastogetthewholeofhimselfunderneathit,butdoesnotsucceed;thereisalwayssomeofhimleftoutsideinthecold。

Hereflectsthata"bonelesswonder"ora"manserpent"wouldbecomfortableenoughinthisbed,andwishesthathehadbeenbroughtupasacontortionist。Ifhecouldonlytiehislegsroundhisneck,andtuckhisheadinunderhisarm,allwouldyetbewell。

Neverhavingbeentaughttodoanyreallyusefultrickssuchasthese,however,hehastobecontenttoremainspreadout,warmingabitofhimselfatatime。

Itis,perhaps,foolishofhim,amidsomanyrealtroubles,toallowamereaestheticalconsiderationtoworryhim,butasheliesthereonhisback,lookingdownathimself,thesightthathepresentstohimselfconsiderablyannoyshim。Thepuffed-upbed,restingonthemiddleofhim,giveshimtheappearanceofamansufferingfromsomemonstrousswelling,orelseofsomeexceptionallywell-developedfrogthathasbeenturnedupthewrongwayanddoesnotknowhowtogetontoitslegsagain。

Anothervexationthathehastocontendwithis,thateverytimehemovesalimborbreathesextrahard,thebed(whichisonlyofdown)

tumblesoffontothefloor。

YoucannotleanoutofaGermanbedtopickupanythingoffthefloor,owingtoitsbox-likeformation;sohehastoscrambleoutafterit,andofcourseeverytimehedoesthishebarksbothhisshinstwiceagainstthesidesofthebed。

Whenhehasperformedthisfeatforaboutthetenthtime,heconcludesthatitwasmadnessforhim,amererawamateuratthebusiness,tothinkthathecouldmanageacomplicated,trickybedofthissort,thatmusttakeevenanexperiencedmanallheknowstosleepinit;andgetsoutandcampsonthefloor。

Atleast,thatiswhatIdid。B。isaccustomedtoGermanbeds,anddoubledhimselfupandwentofftosleepwithouttheslightestdifficulty。

Wesleptfortwohours,andthengotupandwentbacktotherailway-station,wherewedined。Therailwayrefreshment-roominGermantownsappearstobeasmuchpatronisedbytheinhabitantsofthetownasbythetravellerspassingthrough。Itisregardedasanordinaryrestaurant,andusedassuchbythecitizens。Wefoundthedining-roomatColognestationcrowdedwithCologneists。

Allclassesofcitizenswerethere,butespeciallysoldiers。Therewereallsortsofsoldiers——soldiersofrank,andsoldiersofrankandfile;attachedsoldiers(verymuchattached,apparently)andsoldiersunattached;stoutsoldiers,thinsoldiers;oldsoldiers,youngsoldiers。Fourveryyoungsoldierssatoppositeus,drinkingbeer。Ineversawsuchyoungsoldiersoutbythemselvesbefore。

Theyeachlookedabouttwelveyearsold,butmayhavebeenthirteen;

andtheyeachlooked,also,readyandwillingtostormabattery,iftheorderweregiventothemtodoit。Theretheysat,raisingandloweringtheirhugemugsofbeer,discussingmilitarymatters,andrisingeverynowandagaintogravelysalutesomeofficerashepassed,andtoreceiveasgravelyhisgravesaluteinreturn。

Thereseemedtobeadealofsalutingtobegonethrough。Officerskeptenteringandpassingthroughtheroominanalmostcontinualstream,andeverytimeonecameinsightallthemilitarydrinkersandeatersroseandsaluted,andremainedatthesaluteuntiltheofficerhadpassed。

Oneyoungsoldier,whowastryingtoeataplateofsoupnearus,I

feltquitesorryfor。Everytimehegotthespoonnearhismouthanofficerinvariablyhoveinview,anddownwouldhavetogothespoon,soupandall,anduphewouldhavetorise。Itneverseemedtooccurtothesillyfellowtogetunderthetableandfinishhisdinnerthere。

Wehadhalf-an-hourtosparebetweendinnerandthestartingofourtrain,andB。suggestedthatweshouldgointothecathedral。ThatisB。’soneweakness,churches。Ihavethegreatestdifficultyingettinghimpastachurch-door。Wearewalkingalongastreet,arminarm,talkingasrationallyandevenasvirtuouslyasneedbe,whenallatonceIfindthatB。hasbecomesilentandabstracted。

Iknowwhatitis;hehascaughtsightofachurch。Ipretendnottonoticeanychangeinhim,andendeavourtohurryhimon。Helagsmoreandmorebehind,however,andatlaststopsaltogether。

"Come,come,"Isaytohim,encouragingly,"pullyourselftogether,andbeaman。Don’tthinkaboutit。Putitbehindyou,anddeterminethatyouWON’Tbeconquered。Come,weshallberoundthecornerinanotherminute,whereyouwon’tbeabletoseeit。Takemyhand,andlet’srun!"

Hemakesafewfeeblestepsforwardwithme,andthenstopsagain。

"It’snogood,oldman,"hesays,withasicklysmile,sofullofpathosthatitisimpossibletofinditinone’shearttofeelanythingbutpityforhim。"Ican’thelpit。Ihavegivenwaytothissortofthingtoolong。Itistoolatetoreformnow。Yougoonandgetadrinksomewhere;I’lljoinyouagaininafewminutes。

Don’tworryaboutme;it’snogood。"

Andbackhegoeswithtotteringsteps,whileIsadlypassonintothenearestcafe,and,overaglassofabsintheorcognac,thankProvidencethatIlearnttocontrolmycravingforchurchesinearlyyouth,andsoamnotnowlikethispoorB。

Inalittlewhilehecomesin,andsitsdownbesideme。Thereisawild,unhealthyexcitementinhiseye,and,underadefiantairofunnaturalgaiety,heattemptstohidehisconsciousnessofguilt。

"Itwasalovelyaltar-cloth,"hewhisperstome,withanenthusiasmthatonlymakesonesorrowforhimthemore,soutterlyimpossibledoesitcauseallhopeofcuretoseem。"Andthey’vegotacoffininthenorthcryptthatissimplyapoem。Ineverenjoyedasarcophagusmoreinallmylife。"

Idonotsaymuchatthetime;itwouldbeuseless。Butafterthedayisdone,andwearestandingbesideourlittlebeds,andallaroundisassilentasonecanexpectittobeinanhotelwherepeopleseemtobearrivingallnightlongwithheavyluggage,andtobeall,moreorless,introuble,Iarguewithhim,andgentlyreprovehim。Toavoidtheappearanceofsermonisingasmuchaspossible,Iputitonmeregroundsofexpediency。

"Howarewetofindtime,"Isay,"togotoalltheplacesthatwereallyoughttogoto——toallthecafesandtheatresandmusic-hallsandbeer-gardensanddancing-saloonsthatwewanttovisit——ifyouwastehalfthepreciousdayloafingaboutchurchesandcathedrals?"

Heisdeeplymoved,andpromisestoswearoff。Hevows,withtearsinhisvoice,thathewillneverenterachurch-dooragain。Butnextmorning,whenthetemptationcomes,allhisgoodresolutionsaresweptaway,andagainheyields。Itisnogoodbeingangrywithhim,becauseheevidentlydoesreallytry;butthereissomethingaboutthemereodourofachurchthathesimplycannotwithstand。

Notknowing,then,thatthisweaknessofhisforchurcheswassostrong,ImadenoobjectiontotheproposedvisittoCologneCathedral,and,accordingly,towardsitwewendedourway。B。hasseenitbefore,andknowsallaboutit。Hetellsmeitwasbegunaboutthemiddleofthethirteenthcentury,andwasonlycompletedtenyearsago。Itseemstomethattheremusthavebeengrossdelayonthepartofthebuilder。Why,aplumberwouldbeashamedtotakeaslongasthatoverajob!

B。alsoassertsthatthetwotowersarethehighestchurchtowersintheworld。Idisputethis,anddeprecatethetowersgenerally。B。

warmlydefendsthem。HesaystheyarehigherthananybuildinginEurope,excepttheEiffelTower。

"Oh,dearno!"Isay,"therearemanybuildingshigherthantheyinEurope——tosaynothingofAsiaandAmerica。"

Ihavenoauthorityformakingthisassertion。Asamatteroffact,Iknownothingwhateveraboutthematter。ImerelysayittoirritateB。Heappearstotakeasortofpersonalinterestinthebuilding,andenlargesuponitsbeautiesandadvantageswithasmuchfervourasifhewereanauctioneertryingtoselltheplace。

Heretortsthatthetowersare512feethigh。

Isay:

"Nonsense!Somebodyhasimposeduponyou,becausetheyseeyouareaforeigner。"

Hebecomesquiteangryatthis,andsayshecanshowmethefiguresintheguide-book。

"Theguide-book!"Ireply,scornfully。"You’llbelieveanewspapernext!"

B。asksme,indignantly,whatheightIshouldsaytheyare,then。I

examinethemcriticallyforafewminutes,andthengiveitasmyopinionthattheydonotexceed510feetattheveryoutside。B。

seemsannoyedwithme,andweenterthechurchinsilence。

Thereislittletobesaidaboutacathedral。Excepttotheprofessionalsightseer,oneisverymuchlikeanother。Theirbeautytomelies,notinthepaintingsandsculpturetheygivehouseroomto,norinthebonesandbric-a-bracpiledupintheircellars,butinthemselves——theirechoingvastness,theirdeepsilence。

Abovethelittlehomesofmen,abovethenoisyteemingstreets,theyriselikesomesoftstrainofperfectmusic,cleavingitswayamidthejangleofdiscordantnotes。Here,wherethevoicesoftheworldsoundfaint;here,wherethecity’sglamourcomesnotin,itisgoodtorestforawhile——ifonlythepesteringguideswouldleaveonealone——andthink。

ThereismuchhelpinSilence。Fromitstouchwegainrenewedlife。

SilenceistotheSoulwhathisMotherEarthwastoBriareus。Fromcontactwithitwerisehealedofourhurtsandstrengthenedforthefight。

Amidthebabeloftheschoolswestandbewilderedandaffrighted。

Silencegivesuspeaceandhope。Silenceteachesusnocreed,onlythatGod’sarmsarearoundtheuniverse。

HowsmallandunimportantseemallourfretfultroublesandambitionswhenwestandwiththeminourhandbeforethegreatcalmfaceofSilence!Wesmileatthemourselves,andareashamed。

Silenceteachesushowlittleweare——howgreatweare。Intheworld’smarket-placeswearetinkers,tailors,apothecaries,thieves——respectableorotherwise,asthecasemaybe——mereatomsofamightymachine——mereinsectsinavasthive。

ItisonlyinSilencethatitcomeshometousthatwearesomethingmuchgreaterthanthis——thatweareMEN,withalltheuniverseandalleternitybeforeus。

ItisinSilencewehearthevoiceofTruth。Thetemplesandthemartsofmenechoallnightanddaytotheclamourofliesandshamsandquackeries。ButinSilencefalsehoodcannotlive。YoucannotfloatalieonSilence。Aliehastobepuffedaloft,andkeptfromfallingbymen’sbreath。LeavealieonthebosomofSilence,anditsinks。Atruthfloatstherefairandstately,likesomestoutshipuponadeepocean。Silencebuoysheruplovinglyforallmentosee。Notuntilshehasgrownworn-outandrotten,andisnolongeratruth,willthewatersofSilencecloseoverher。

Silenceistheonlyrealthingwecanlayholdofinthisworldofpassingdreams。Timeisashadowthatwillvanishwiththetwilightofhumanity;butSilenceisapartoftheeternal。Allthingsthataretrueandlastinghavebeentaughttomen’sheartsbySilence。

Amongallnations,thereshouldbevasttemplesraisedwherethepeoplemightworshipSilenceandlistentoit,foritisthevoiceofGod。

Thesefairchurchesandcathedralsthatmenhaverearedaroundthemthroughouttheworld,havebeenbuiltashomesformerecreeds——thisoneforProtestantism,thatoneforRomanism,anotherforMahomedanism。ButGod’sSilencedwellsinallalike,onlydrivenforthattimesbythetinklingofbellsandthemumblingofprayers;

and,inthem,itisgoodtositawhileandhavecommunionwithher。

Westrolledround,beforewecameout。Justbytheentrancetothechoiranofficialstoppedme,andaskedmeifIwantedtogoandseealotoffal-lalthingshehadgotonshow——relicsandbones,andoldmasters,andsuch-likeWardour-streetrubbish。

Itoldhim,"No";andattemptedtopasson,buthesaid:

"No,no!Youdon’tpay,youdon’tgointhere,"andshutthegate。

HesaidthissentenceinEnglish;andtheprecisionandfluencywithwhichhedelivereditrathersuggestedtheideathatitwasaphrasemuchinrequest,andonethathehadhadagooddealofpracticein。

ItisveryprevalentthroughoutGermany,thiscustomofnotallowingyoutogointoseeathingunlessyoupay。

ENDOFSATURDAY,24TH,ANDBEGINNINGOFSUNDAY,25TH——CONTINUED

TheRhine!——HowHistoryisWritten。——ComplicatedVillages。——HowaPeacefulCommunityWasVeryMuchUpset。——TheGermanRailwayGuard。——

HisPassionforTickets。——WeDiffuseComfortandJoyWhereverWeGo,GladdeningtheWeary,andBringingSmilestoThemthatWeep。——

"Tickets,Please。"——HuntingExperiences。——ANaturalMistake。——FreeAcrobaticPerformancebytheGuard。——TheRailwayAuthorities’LittleJoke。——WhyWeShouldThinkoftheSorrowsofOthers。

Wereturnedtothestationjustintimetosecurecomfortableseats,andat5。10steamedoutuponourfifteenhours’runtoMunich。FromBonntoMayencethelinekeepsbythesideoftheRhinenearlythewholeoftheway,andwehadasplendidviewoftheriver,withtheold-worldtownsandvillagesthatclusterrounditsbank,themistymountainsthatmakeearlytwilightuponitsswiftlyrollingwaves,thecastledcragsandprecipicesthatriseupsheerandmajesticfromitsmargin,thewoodedrocksthathangwiththreateningfrownaboveitssombredepths,theruinedtowersandturretsthatcapeachpointalongitsshores,thepleasantislesthatstudlikegemsitsbroadexpanseofwaters。

Fewthingsinthisworldcomeuptoexpectation,especiallythosethingsofwhichonehasbeenledtoexpectmuch,andaboutwhichonehasheardagooddeal。Withthisphilosophyrunninginmyhead,I

waspreparedtofindtheRhineamuchover-ratedriver。

Iwaspleasantlydisappointed。Thepanoramawhichunfoldeditselfbeforeoureyes,aswespedalongthroughthequiettwilightthatwasdeepeningintostarrynight,waswonderfullybeautiful,entrancingandexpressive。

Idonotintendtodescribeittoyou。Todojusticetothetheme,IshouldhavetobeevenamorebrilliantandpowerfulwriterthanI

am。Toattemptthesubject,withoutdoingitjustice,wouldbeawasteofyourtime,sweetreader,andofmine——astillmoreimportantmatter。

Iconfessitwasnotmyoriginalintentiontoletyouoffsoeasily。

Istartedwiththeideaofgivingyouarapidbutglowingandeloquentword-pictureofthevalleyoftheRhinefromColognetoMayence。Forbackground,IthoughtIwouldsketchinthehistoricalandlegendaryeventsconnectedwiththedistrict,andagainstthis,foraforeground,Iwoulddraw,invividcolours,themodernaspectofthescene,withremarksandobservationsthereon。

Herearemyroughnotes,madeforthepurpose:-

Mems。forChapteronRhine:"ConstantinetheGreatusedtocomehere——sodidAgrippa。(N。B。——TryandfindoutsomethingaboutAgrippa。)CaesarhadagooddealtodowiththeRhine——alsoNero’smother。"

(Tothereader。——Thebrevityofthesememorandarenderstheirimport,attimes,confusing。Forinstance,thismeansthatCaesarandNero’smotherbothhadagooddealtodowiththeRhine;notthatCaesarhadagooddealtodowithNero’smother。IexplainthisbecauseIshouldbesorrytoconveyanyfalseimpressionconcerningeithertheladyorCaesar。Scandalisathingabhorrenttomynature。)

Notescontinued:"TheUbiididsomethingontherightbankoftheRhineatanearlyperiod,andafterwardswerefoundontheotherside。(ExpecttheUbiiwereatribe;butmakesureofthis,astheymightbesomethinginthefossilline。)ColognewasthecradleofGermanart。Talkaboutartandtheoldmasters。Treattheminakindlyandgentlespirit。Theyaredeadnow。SaintUrsulawasmurderedatCologne,witheleventhousandvirginattendants。Theremusthavebeenquiteapartyofthem。Drawpowerfulandpatheticimaginarypictureoftheslaughter。(N。B。——Findoutwhomurderedthemall。)SaysomethingabouttheEmperorMaximilian。Callhim’themightyMaximilian。’MentionCharlemagne(agooddealshouldbemadeoutofCharlemagne)andtheFranks。(FindoutallabouttheFranks,andwheretheylived,andwhathasbecomeofthem。)SketchthevariouscontestsbetweentheRomansandtheGoths。(Readup’Gibbon’forthis,unlessyoucangetenoughoutofMangnall’sQuestions。)Givepicturesqueaccount——withcomments——ofthebattlesbetweenthecitizensofCologneandtheirhaughtyarchbishops。

(N。B。——LetthemfightonabridgeovertheRhine,unlessitisdistinctlystatedsomewherethattheydidn’t。)BringintheMinne-

singers,especiallyWaltervonVogelweid;makehimsingunderacastle-wallsomewhere,andletthegirldie。TalkaboutAlbertDurer。Criticisehisstyle。Sayit’sflat。(Ifpossible,findoutifitISflat。)"TherattowerontheRhine,"nearBingen。

Describetheplaceandtellthewholestory。Don’tspinitouttoolong,becauseeverybodyknowsit。"TheBrothersofBornhofen,"

storyconnectedwiththetwincastlesofSterrenbergandLiebenstein,ConradandHeinrich——brothers——bothloveHildegarde。

Shewasverybeautiful。HeinrichgenerouslyrefusestomarrythebeautifulHildegarde,andgoesawaytotheCrusades,leavinghertohisbrotherConrad。Conradconsidersoverthematterforayearortwo,andthenHEdecidesthathewon’tmarryhereither,butwillleaveherforhisbrotherHeinrich,andHEgoesofftotheCrusades,fromwhencehereturns,afewyearslateron,withaGrecianbride。

ThebeautifulH。,muddledupbetweenthepairofthem,andthevictimoftoomuchgenerosity,getssulky(don’tblameher),andshutsherselfupinalonelypartofthecastle,andwon’tseeanybodyforyears。ChivalrousHeinrichreturns,andiswildthathisbrotherC。hasnotmarriedthebeautifulH。Itdoesnotoccurtohimtomarrythegirleventhen。Thefeverishyearningdisplayedbyeachofthesetwobrothers,thattheotheroneshouldmarrythebelovedHildegarde,isverytouching。Heinrichdrawshissword,andthrowshimselfuponhisbrotherC。tokillhim。ThebeautifulHildegarde,however,throwsherselfbetweenthemandreconciliatesthem,andthen,convincedthatneitherofthemmeansbusiness,andnaturallydisgustedwiththewholeaffair,retiresintoanunnery。

Conrad’sGrecianbridesubsequentlythrowsherselfawayonanotherman,uponwhichConradthrowshimselfonhisbrotherH。’sbreast,andtheysweareternalfriendship。(Makeitpathetic。Pretendyouhavesatamidtheruinsinthemoonlight,andgivethescene——withghosts。)"Rolandseck,"nearBonn。TellthestoryofRolandandHildegunde(seeBaedeker,p。66)。Don’tmakeittoolong,becauseitissomuchliketheother。Describethefuneral?The"WatchTowerontheRhine"belowAudernach。Query,isn’tthereasongaboutthis?Ifso,putitin。CoblentzandEhrenbreitstein。Greatfortresses。Callthem"theFrowningSentinelsoftheState。"MakereflectionsontheGermanarmy,alsoonwargenerally。ChataboutFredericktheGreat。(ReadCarlyle’shistoryofhim,andpickouttheinterestingbits。)TheDrachenfels。QuoteByron。Moraliseaboutruinedcastlesgenerally,anddescribethemiddleages,withyourviewsandopinionsonsame。"

Thereismuchmoreofit,butthatissufficienttoletyouseetheschemeIhadinmyhead。Ihavenotcarriedoutmyscheme,because,whenIcametoreflectuponthematter,itseemedtomethattheideawoulddevelopintosomethingthatwouldbemoreinthenatureofahistoryofEuropethanachapterinatourist’sdiary,andI

determinednottowastemytimeuponit,untiltherearoseagreaterpublicdemandforanewHistoryofEuropethanthereappearstoexistatpresent。

"Besides,"Iarguedtomyself,"suchaworkwouldbejusttheverythingwithwhichtobeguilethetediumofalongimprisonment。AtsomefuturetimeImaybegladofalabourofthismagnitudetooccupyaperiodofinvoluntaryinaction。"

"Thisisthesortofthing,"Isaidtomyself,"tosaveupforHollowayorPentonville。"

Itwouldhavebeenaveryenjoyableridealtogether,thatevening’sspinalongthebanksoftheRhine,ifIhadnotbeenhauntedatthetimebytheideathatIshouldhavetowriteanaccountofitnextdayinmydiary。Asitwas,Ienjoyeditasamanenjoysadinnerwhenhehasgottomakeaspeechafterit,orasacriticenjoysaplay。

Wepassedsuchoddlittlevillageseveryhereandthere。Littleplacessocrowdedupbetweentherailwayandtheriverthattherewasnoroominthemforanystreets。Allthehouseswerejumbleduptogetherjustanyhow,andhowanymanwholivedinthemiddlecouldgethomewithoutclimbingoverhalftheotherhousesintheplaceI

couldnotmakeout。Theywerethesortofvillageswhereaman’smother-in-law,comingtopayhimavisit,mightwanderaroundallday,hearinghim,andevennowandthenseeinghim,yetneverbeingabletogetathiminconsequenceofnotknowingthewayin。

Adrunkenman,livinginoneofthesevillages,couldneverhopetogethome。Hewouldhavetositdownoutside,andwaittillhisheadwasclear。

Wewitnessedtheopeningscenesofaveryamusinglittlecomedyatoneofthetownswherethetraindrewup。Thechiefcharacterswereplayedbyanactiveyounggoat,asmallboy,anelderlymanandawoman,parentsofthesmallboyandownersofthegoat,andadog。

Firstweheardayell,andthen,fromoutacottageoppositethestation,boundedaninnocentandhappygoat,andgambolledaround。

Alongrope,oneendofwhichwasfastenedtohisneck,trailedbehindhim。Afterthegoat(inthedoublesenseofthephrase)cameachild。Thechildtriedtocatchthegoatbymeansoftherope,caughtitselfintheropeinstead,andwentdownwithabumpandascreech。Whereuponastoutwoman,theboy’smotherapparently,ranoutfromthecottage,andalsomadeforthegoat。Thegoatflewdowntheroad,andthewomanflewafterit。Atthefirstcorner,thewomantrodontherope,andthenSHEwentdownwithabumpandascreech。Thenthegoatturnedandranupthestreet,and,asitpassedthecottage,thefatherranoutandtriedtostopit。Hewasanoldman,butstillseemedtohaveplentyofvigourinhim。Heevidentlyguessedhowhiswifeandchildhadgonedown,andheendeavouredtoavoidtheropeandtoskipoveritwhenitcamenearhim。Butthegoat’smovementsweretooerraticforhim。Histurncame,andhetrodontherope,andwentdowninthemiddleoftheroad,oppositehisowndoor,withathudthatshookusallupagainsteachotheraswestoodlookingoutofthecarriage-window,andsatthereandcursedthegoat。Thenoutranadog,barkingfuriously,andhewentforthegoat,andgottheendoftheropeinhisteethandheldontoitlikegrimdeath。Awaywentthegoat,athisendoftherope,and,withhim,thedogattheotherend。

Betweenthem,theykepttheropeaboutsixinchesabovetheground,andwithittheyremorselesslymoweddowneverylivingthingtheycameacrossinthatoncepeacefulvillage。Inthecourseoflessthanhalfaminutewecountedfourteenpersonssittingdowninthemiddleoftheroad。Eightofthemwerecursingthegoat,fourwerecursingthedog,andtwoofthemwerecursingtheoldmanforkeepingthegoat,oneofthesetwo,andthemoreviolentone,beingtheman’sownwife。

Thetrainleftatthisjuncture。Weentreatedtherailwayofficialstoletusstopandseetheshowout。Theplaywasbecomingquiteinteresting。Itwassofullofmovement。Buttheysaidthatwewerehalf-an-hourlateasitwas,andthattheydarednot。

Weleanedoutofthewindow,andwatchedforaslongaswecould;

andafterthevillagewaslosttoviewinthedistance,wecouldstill,bylisteningcarefully,hearthethuds,asoneafteranotheroftheinhabitantssatdownandbegantoswear。

Atabouteleveno’clockwehadsomebeer——youcangenerallyobtainsuchlightrefreshmentasbottledbeerandcoffeeandrollsfromtheguardonathroughlong-distancetraininGermany——tookoffourboots,andsaying"Good-night"toeachother,madeagreatshowofgoingtosleep。Butweneversucceededingettingthere。Theywantedtoseeone’stickettoooftenforonetogetfairlyoff。

Everyfewminutes,soitseemedtome,thoughinrealitytheintervalsmayperhapshavebeenlonger,aghostlyfacewouldappearatthecarriage-window,andasktoseeourtickets。

WheneveraGermanrailway-guardfeelslonesome,anddoesnotknowwhatelsetodowithhimself,hetakesawalkroundthetrain,andgetsthepassengerstoshowhimtheirtickets,afterwhichhereturnstohisboxcheeredandrefreshed。Somepeopleraveaboutsunsetsandmountainsandoldmasters;buttotheGermanrailway-

guardtheworldcanshownothingmoresatisfying,moreinspiring,thanthesightofarailway-ticket。

NearlyalltheGermanrailwayofficialshavethissamecravingfortickets。Ifonlytheygetsomebodytoshowthemarailway-ticket,theyarehappy。Itseemedaharmlessweaknessoftheirs,andB。andIdecidedthatitwouldbeonlykindtohumourtheminitduringourstay。

Accordingly,wheneverwesawaGermanrailwayofficialstandingabout,lookingsadandweary,wewentuptohimandshowedhimourtickets。Thesightwaslikearayofsunshinetohim;andallhiscarewasimmediatelyforgotten。Ifwehadnotaticketwithusatthetime,wewentandboughtone。Ameresinglethirdtothenextstationwouldgladdenhimsufficientlyinmostcases;butifthepoorfellowappearedverywoe-begone,andasifhewantedmorethanordinarycheeringup,wegothimasecond-classreturn。

ForthepurposeofourjourneytoOber-Ammergauandback,weeachcarriedwithusafoliocontainingsometenortwelvefirst-classticketsbetweendifferenttowns,coveringinalladistanceofsomethousandmiles;andoneafternoon,atMunich,seeingarailwayofficial,acloak-roomkeeper,whotheytoldushadlatelylosthisaunt,andwholookedexceptionallydejected,IproposedtoB。thatweshouldtakethismanintoaquietcorner,andbothofusshowhimallourticketsatonce——thewholetwentyortwenty-fourofthem——

andlethimtaketheminhishandandlookatthemforaslongasheliked。Iwantedtocomforthim。

B。,however,advisedagainstthesuggestion。Hesaidthatevenifitdidnotturntheman’shead(anditwasmorethanprobablethatitwould),somuchjealousywouldbecreatedagainsthimamongtheotherrailwaypeoplethroughoutGermany,thathislifewouldbemadeamiserytohim。

Soweboughtandshowedhimafirst-classreturntothenextstationbutone;anditwasquitepathetictowatchthepoorfellow’sfacebrightenupatthesight,andtoseethefaintsmilecreepbacktothelipsfromwhichithadsolongbeenabsent。

Butattimes,onewishesthattheGermanrailwayofficialwouldcontrolhispassionfortickets——or,atleast,keepitwithinduebounds。

Eventhemostkindly-heartedmangrowstiredofshowinghisticketalldayandnightlong,andthemiddleofawearisomejourneyisnotthepropertimeforamantocometothecarriage-windowandclamourtoseeyour"billet。"

Youarewearyandsleepy。Youdonotknowwhereyourticketis。

Youarenotquitesurethatyouhavegotaticket;orifyoueverhadone,somebodyhastakenitawayfromyou。Youhaveputitbyverycarefully,thinkingthatitwouldnotbewantedforhours,andhaveforgottenwhere。

Thereareelevenpocketsinthesuityouhaveon,andfivemoreintheovercoatontherack。Maybe,itisinoneofthosepockets。Ifnot,itispossiblyinoneofthebags——somewhere,orinyourpocket-book,ifyouonlyknewwherethatwas,oryourpurse。

Youbeginasearch。Youstandupandshakeyourself。Thenyouhaveanotherfeelallover。Youlookroundinthecourseoftheproceedings;andthesightofthecrowdofcuriousfaceswatchingyou,andofthemaninuniformwaitingwithhiseyefixedseverelyuponyou,conveytoyou,inyourthenstateofconfusion,themomentaryideathatthisisapolice-courtscene,andthatiftheticketisfounduponyou,youwillprobablygetfiveyears。

Uponthisyouvehementlyprotestyourinnocence。

"ItellyouIhaven’tgotit!"youexclaim;——"neverseenthegentleman’sticket。Youletmego!I——"

Herethesurpriseofyourfellow-passengersrecallsyoutoyourself,andyouproceedonyourexploration。Youoverhaulthebags,turningeverythingoutontothefloor,mutteringcursesonthewholerailwaysystemofGermanyasyoudoso。Thenyoufeelinyourboots。Youmakeeverybodynearyoustanduptoseeiftheyaresittinguponit,andyougodownonyourkneesandgrovelforitundertheseat。

"Youdidn’tthrowitoutofthewindowwithyoursandwiches,didyou?"asksyourfriend。

"No!DoyouthinkI’mafool?"youanswer,irritably。"WhatshouldIwanttodothatfor?"

Ongoingsystematicallyoveryourselfforaboutthetwentiethtime,youdiscoveritinyourwaistcoatpocket,andforthenexthalf-houryousitandwonderhowyoucametomissitonthepreviousnineteenoccasions。

Meanwhile,duringthistryingscene,theconductoftheguardhascertainlynottendedtoallayyouranxietyandnervousness。Allthetimethatyouhavebeenlookingforyourticket,hehasbeendoingsillytricksonthestepoutside,imperillinghislifebyeverymeansthatexperienceandingenuitycansuggest。

Thetrainisgoingattherateofthirtymilesanhour,theexpressspeedinGermany,andabridgecomesinsightcrossingovertheline。Onseeingthisbridge,theguard,holdingonbythewindow,leanshisbodyasfarbackaseveritwillgo。Youlookathim,andthenattherapidly-nearingbridge,andcalculatethatthearchwilljusttakehisheadoffwithoutinjuringanyotherpartofhimwhatever,andyouwonderwhethertheheadwillbejerkedintothecarriageorwillfalloutside。

Whenheisthreeinchesoffthebridge,hepullshimselfupstraight,andthebrickwork,asthetraindashesthrough,killsaflythatwastrespassingontheupperpartofhisrightear。

Then,whenthebridgeispassed,andthetrainisskirtingtheveryedgeofaprecipice,sothatastonedroppedjustoutsidethewindowwouldtumblestraightdown300feet,hesuddenlyletsgo,and,balancinghimselfonthefoot-boardwithoutholdingontoanything,commencestodanceasortofTeutoniccellar-flap,andtowarmhisbodybyflinginghisarmsaboutinthemannerofcabmenonacoldday。

ThefirstessentialtocomfortablerailwaytravellinginGermanyistomakeupyourmindnottocarearapwhethertheguardgetskilledinthecourseofthejourneyornot。AnytenderfeelingtowardstheguardmakesrailwaytravellingintheFatherlandasimpletorture。

Atfivea。m。(howfairandsweetandfreshtheearthlooksintheearlymorning!Thoselazypeoplewholieinbedtilleightorninemisshalfthebeautyoftheday,iftheybutknewit。ItisonlywewhoriseearlythatreallyenjoyNatureproperly)Igaveuptryingtogettosleep,andmademywaytothedressing-roomattheendofthecar,andhadawash。

Itisdifficulttowashintheselittleplaces,becausethecarsshakeso;andwhenyouhavegotbothyourhandsandhalfyourheadinthebasin,andareunabletoprotectyourself,thesidesoftheroom,andthewater-tapandthesoap-dish,andothercowardlythings,takeameanadvantageofyourhelplessnesstopunchyouashardasevertheycan;andwhenyoubackawayfromthese,thedoorswingsopenandslapsyoufrombehind。

Isucceeded,however,ingettingmyselffairlywetallover,evenifIdidnothingelse,andthenIlookedaboutforatowel。Ofcourse,therewasnotowel。Thatisthetrick。Theideaoftherailwayauthoritiesistolurethepassenger,byprovidinghimwithsoapandwaterandabasin,intogettinghimselfthoroughlysoaked,andthentoletitdawnuponhimthatthereisnotowel。Thatistheirnotionoffun!

Ithoughtofthehandkerchiefsinmybag,buttogettothemI

shouldhavetopasscompartmentscontainingladies,andIwasonlyinearlymorningdress。

SoIhadtowipemyselfwithanewspaperwhichIhappenedtohaveinmypocket,andamoreunsatisfactorythingtodryoneselfuponI

cannotconceive。

IwokeupB。whenIgotbacktothecarriage,andpersuadedhimtogoandhaveawash;andinlisteningtothedistantsoundofhisremarkswhenhelikewisediscoveredthattherewasnotowel,therecollectionofmyowndiscomfiturepassedgentlyaway。

Ah!howtrueitis,asgoodpeopletellus,thatinthinkingofthesorrowsofothers,welearntoforgetourown!

ForfiftymilesbeforeonereachesMunich,thelandisflat,stale,andapparentlyveryunprofitable,andthereislittletointerestthelooker-out。Hesitsstraininghiseyestowardsthehorizon,eagerlylongingforsomesignofthecitytocomeinsight。

Itliesverylow,however,anddoesallitcantoescapeobservation;anditisnotuntilheisalmostwithinitsstreetsthathediscoversit。

THERESTOFSUNDAY,THE25TH

WeSeekBreakfast。——IAirMyGerman。——TheArtofGesture。——TheIntelligenceofthePremiereDanseuse。——PerformanceofEnglishPantomimeinthePyrenees。——SadResultTherefrom。——The"GermanConversation"Book。——ItsNarrow-mindedViewofHumanWantsandAspirations。——SundayinMunich。——HansandGretchen。——HighLifev。

LowLife。——"ABeer-Cellar。"

AtMunichweleftourluggageatthestation,andwentinsearchofbreakfast。Ofcourse,ateighto’clockinthemorningnoneofthebigcafeswereopen;butatlength,besidesomegardens,wefoundanold-fashionedlookingrestaurant,fromwhichcameapleasantodourofcoffeeandhotonions;andwalkingthroughandseatingourselvesatoneofthelittletables,placedoutunderthetrees,wetookthebilloffareinourhands,andsummonedthewaitertoourside。

Iorderedthebreakfast。IthoughtitwouldbeagoodopportunityformetotrymyGerman。Iorderedcoffeeandrollsasagroundwork。Igotoverthatpartofmytaskveryeasily。WiththepracticeIhadhadduringthelasttwodays,Icouldhaveorderedcoffeeandrollsforforty。ThenIforagedroundforluxuries,andorderedagreensalad。IhadsomedifficultyatfirstinconvincingthemanthatitwasnotaboiledcabbagethatIwanted,butsucceededeventuallyingettingthatsillynotionoutofhishead。

IstillhadalittleGermanleft,evenafterthat。SoIorderedanomelettealso。

"Tellhimasavouryone,"saidB。,"orhewillbebringingussomethingfullofhotjamandchocolate-creams。Youknowtheirstyle。"

"Oh,yes,"Ianswered。"Ofcourse。Yes。Letmesee。WhatistheGermanforsavoury?"

"Savoury?"musedB。"Oh!ah!hum!BotheredifIknow!Confoundthething——Ican’tthinkofit!"

Icouldnotthinkofiteither。Asamatteroffact,Ineverknewit。WetriedthemanwithFrench。Wesaid:

"Uneomeletteauxfinesherbes。"

Ashedidnotappeartounderstandthat,wegaveithiminbadEnglish。Wetwistedandturnedtheunfortunateword"savoury"intosoundssoquaint,sosad,sounearthly,thatyouwouldhavethoughttheymighthavetouchedtheheartofasavage。ThisstoicalTeuton,however,remainedunmoved。Thenwetriedpantomime。

Pantomimeistolanguagewhatmarmalade,accordingtothelabelonthepot,istobutter,"anexcellent(occasional)substitute。"Butitspowersasaninterpreterofthoughtarelimited。Atleast,inreallifetheyareso。Asregardsaballet,itisdifficulttosaywhatisnotexplainablebypantomime。Ihaveseenthebadmaninaballetconveytothepremieredanseusebyasubtlemovementoftheleftleg,togetherwithsomeslightassistancefromthedrum,theheartrendingintelligencethattheladyshehadbeenbroughtuptobelievewashermotherwasinrealityonlyherauntbymarriage。

Butthenitmustbeborneinmindthatthepremieredanseuseisaladywhosequicknessofperceptionisaltogetherunique。Thepremieredanseuseknowspreciselywhatagentlemanmeanswhenhetwirlsroundforty-seventimesononeleg,andthenstandsonhishead。Theaverageforeignerwould,inallprobability,completelymisunderstandtheman。

Afriendofmineonce,duringatourinthePyrenees,triedtoexpressgratitudebymeansofpantomime。Hearrivedlateoneeveningatalittlemountaininn,wherethepeoplemadehimverywelcome,andsetbeforehimtheirbest;andhe,beinghungry,appreciatedtheirkindness,andateamostexcellentsupper。

Indeed,soexcellentamealdidhemake,andsokindandattentivewerehishoststohim,that,aftersupper,hefelthewantedtothankthem,andtoconveytothemsomeideaofhowpleasedandsatisfiedhewas。

Hecouldnotexplainhimselfinlanguage。HeonlyknewenoughSpanishtojustaskforwhathewanted——andeventodothathehadtobecarefulnottowantmuch。Hehadnotgotasfarassentimentandemotionatthattime。Accordinglyhestartedtoexpresshimselfinaction。Hestoodupandpointedtotheemptytablewherethesupperhadbeen,thenopenedhismouthandpointeddownhisthroat。

Thenhepattedthatregionofhisanatomywhere,soscientificpeopletellus,suppergoesto,andsmiled。

Hehasarathercurioussmile,hasmyfriend。Hehimselfisundertheimpressionthatthereissomethingverywinninginit,though,also,asheadmits,atouchofsadness。Theyuseitinhisfamilyforkeepingthechildreninorder。

Thepeopleoftheinnseemedratherastonishedathisbehaviour。

Theyregardedhim,withtroubledlooks,andthengatheredtogetheramongthemselvesandconsultedinwhispers。

"Ievidentlyhavenotmademyselfsufficientlycleartothesesimplepeasants,"saidmyfriendtohimself。"Imustputmorevigourintothisshow。"

AccordinglyherubbedandpattedthatpartofhimselftowhichI

havepreviouslyalluded——andwhich,beingamodestandproperlybrought-upyoungman,nothingonearthshallinducemetomentionmoreexplicitly——withgreaterenergythanever,andaddedanotherinchortwoofsmile;andhealsomadevariousgracefulmovementsindicative,ashethought,offriendlyfeelingandcontentment。

Atlengtharayofintelligenceburstuponthefacesofhishosts,andtheyrushedtoacupboardandbroughtoutasmallblackbottle。

"Ah!that’sdoneit,"thoughtmyfriend。"Nowtheyhavegraspedmymeaning。AndtheyarepleasedthatIampleased,andaregoingtoinsistonmydrinkingafinalfriendlybumperofwinewiththem,thegoodoldsouls!"

Theybroughtthebottleover,andpouredoutawineglassful,andhandedittohim,makingsignsthatheshoulddrinkitoffquickly。

"Ah!"saidmyfriendtohimself,ashetooktheglassandraisedittothelight,andwinkedatitwickedly,"thisissomerareoldspiritpeculiartothedistrict——someoldheirloomkeptspeciallyforthefavouredguest。"

Andheheldtheglassaloftandmadeaspeech,inwhichhewishedlonglifeandmanygrand-childrentotheoldcouple,andahandsomehusbandtothedaughter,andprosperitytothewholevillage。Theycouldnotunderstandhim,heknew;buthethoughttheremightbethatinhistonesandgesturesfromwhichtheywouldgatherthesenseofwhathewassaying,andunderstandhowkindlyhefelttowardsthemall。Whenhehadfinished,heputhishanduponhisheartandsmiledsomemore,andthentossedtheliquoroffatagulp。

【推荐阅读】幽幽深宫,醒来一梦似千年,重生于下堂妃身躯中的她,将如何手刃仇人? 点击阅读

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