The

The scene, in the tender evening glow, had a delicate grace which is indescribable, so largely was the loveliness due to harmonious combination of many gradual lights and shades and tremulous touches of tint and form. fall itself is, in its kind, like the Staubbach; a sight to be sneered at by those who know how in Scotland ever and anon a real river comes tumbling down the rocks, but not by the rest of the world. For my part, being of an imaginative turn, I stood in a stalactitehung recess under it, with the same feelings, I presume, as men stand under Niagara, and I certainly got wetted as do they. Its birthplace as a waterfall is a semicircle, halfway up the dwarf mountain, with rocky precipices above and around, and groups of beeches sprinkling the grassy area. What a place would Urach be for a German bath, if the chemists would only discover some mineral springs hereabouts! It has all the necessary properties: a castle, waterfall, mountains, forests, meadows, and ravines, and even antiquities, all ready to hand, and in inexhaustible variety. The burghers seem aware of their advantages, and you find friendly finger-posts guiding you to the best points of view, with trim forest roads in every direction, and benches, and, in the plateau by the fall, clumps of ornamental shrubs planted by official hands. Who, the most bigoted amateur of untrodden valleys and towns yet unknown to Weld and White, could spurn luxuries like these, let alone Vesuvian puddings, when connoting, unless these pages bring them, no Anglo-Saxon tourists, but only an æsthetic student from Tübingen, or a comfortable native negociant, combining pleasure with business, and over his wine talking of having come 66 "" over the mountains from Reutlingen, as though just fresh from the Jungfrau or Monte Rosa !

The valley, up to within a couple of miles of Urach, is too wide to be picturesque, though it is pleasant enough for a walk when people are in a happy humour. Beyond Dettingen, indeed, with its parti-coloured steeple, the half circle of hills about and on the other side of Urach, with the noble ruin enthroned in the centre, looks full of promise. But the most striking scenes open up beyond the town. The day after my arrival I made an excursion to Hohenneufen. The road led me for an hour up a narrow glen with many beeches, which, however, as well as the cliffs, from an unpardonable mistake of the pioneers in choosing the site of the path, threw their shade on the wrong side. A hot bit of table-land succeeded, without any shade except from fitful ranges of piled-up logs, and in the midst lay basking and sweltering the "long unlovely

street" of dirty Dorf Hülben, whose most surprising wealth in manure heaps suggested the Green Isle of the Ocean. When this ended, there dawned upon me a far swimming prospect over a vast sunlit plain to the left, towards which a deep road cut in the mountain-side descends abruptly. As, however, I found that this was fast carrying me right away from the tower and grey walls of Hohenneufen, which had been long greeting me on the side of the opposite hill, I started aside over brooks and ploughed fields, braving the extreme penalties of the law, and fines, it may be, of full four and sixpence, and at last found myself close to the castle. I confess to having indulged in immense jubilation at my mingled courage and sagacity in daring a short cut, which, alas, I have so often found a long one, till, on returning, my triumph was cruelly dashed by discovering a side path, by which, had I been less prematurely enterprising, I might have reached my destination in half the time, and without any need for despair or ploughed fields.

But that knowledge was a thing of the future. What I saw before me was a vast dismantled fortress, occupying on the hills a space which was almost precipitous on three sides, and on the fourth is connected with a range of heights by a long narrow saddle-bow. The ruins, which cover a great space, show the fort to have been none of your robber knights' puny lurking-places, as those on the Rhine or the Neckar, but designed to embrace roomy barracks and ladies' bowers, and dungeons too. The view is wide enough to make one dizzy. It ranges over a vast plain, or what seems one, into which the castle-crowned promontory advances proudly. I counted twenty-two redtiled towns and villages, all visible at a glance, intersected by vineyards, orchards, woods, and fields, while the sounds of human toil and children's mingled laughter and crying, and the sweet chimes of a little church on the plain, I think, at Neufen, fluttered lightly up to where I stood.

The next morning was market day at Urach. The Platz was crowded with piles of oats, and with meat and sacks of fruit. But just as all the world was streaming into Urach, it occurred to me that other duties made it incumbent upon me to leave off being serenely comfortable amidst Suabian orchards. So away I hurried into the outer world, leaving behind me regretfully the prettiest valleys that I have ever seen, and doomed for weeks after to be haunted by memories of mysterious pathways straying off into cool woodland retreats far away from the hot sunshine, and towards villages with names breathing the very essence of apples and gables.

WILLIAM STEBBING.

"tender passion." Looking at my face, you would never imagine the madcap, illogical things I did at that period of my life. There is a lot of solemn old fogies who go to town in the same omnibus with me every morning; I often wonder whether they ever did the wild things I was guilty of. Now I detest talking in an omnibus-a top-of-the-voice dialogue jolted into falsetto-so I frequently amuse myself with meditating upon my fellow-passengers. I know they fancy I am thinking about Consols or indigo, and such matters; but no, I fix my thoughts on the face of one of them, perhaps I know the man in business, and then I picture his home life; there he sits in the omnibus, stately, starched, and grand; there are clerks and business honours grimly awaiting him in the city-I wonder whether he snubs and bullies in the household as he does at his office? or whether that starched pomposity crumbles away in the majestic presence of madam, his wife ?

I dine with one or two of these men at their houses, not that I particularly care for them or they for me; but it is convenient on both sides to be friendly, so I become somewhat acquainted with their home life, and participate in their conversation, which is "city" transferred to the dining and drawing room, interlarded on the lady's part with Morning Post fashion. Now, though all this is dull enough, it affords food for amusing speculation.

I meet my host Brown in the omnibus. I have known Brown for years; his conversation has never varied in subject: it becomes a question whether he ever did talk on any other matter than business; well, admitting that he did, those matters were doubtless not very edifying, or he would talk about them now; they most likely consisted of "life about town" or sporting talk, which were discarded when the youth solidified into the business-man. In all probability my friend did not marry until he became a business-man, and I am forced into a curious inquiry as to what he talked about when he was courting. It is always held that love gives a poetic colouring to life, but then the elements in my friend's mind for love to work upon must have been so very meagre ; nevertheless I fall to and try to construct a love conversation based upon Consols and shares, exports and imports, indigo, and light French goods.

I fall into a sort of day-dream over this idea, which the conductor at last destroys by the magic word "Bank," and I laugh as I fumble for the sixpence.

"What's the joke?" asks Brown, with his solemn face.

"A bit of nonsense that won't bear the

telling," I reply; and we trudge a hundred yards or so in the direction of our respective offices, Brown dinning into my ears the merits of that " 'capital thing" in which I must take shares-ought really to be a director—“The Patent Traction Steam Omnibus Company, Limited.”

Brown was bent upon that company, and he was always boring me to be a director, but I was doubtful of the principle. A brougham bound from Grosvenor Place to | Hyde Park, poled in the transverse current of Knightsbridge by an ordinary omnibus is bad enough, but athwart a steam omnibus with its relentless mechanical propulsion, why, the brougham would be a crushed bandbox in a moment and then, last not least, Brown did not succeed in convincing me about dividends; so before I did anything I decided to talk the matter well over with my great chum, Harry Smith.

This friend of mine is a young fellow in whom I take the greatest interest, and whom I try to push as much as I can in business; he's in and out of my office half a dozen times a day; we are the greatest friends in the world, though there is five-and-thirty years or more difference in our ages. I may as well say who he is he is the son of the lady I loved so well; both his parents died long ago. I took a fancy to him before I knew who he was; he is a noble, handsome fellow, with his mother's blue eyes, light hair, fine complexion, and delicate features; at some moments he becomes the very image of her, and then I am obliged to busy myself with my glasses and the ledgers -but I'm getting stupid! Well, as I said before, we two are very intimate, and always confide to one another our different business

plans. I asked him what he thought of Brown's company. He hummed and hawed and did not know what to advise either way. "Come," said I, "to please Brown, I'll take five-and-twenty shares; no great loss if the thing does not pay; but mind you don't speculate in it, Harry."

"I have taken twenty-five shares myself," he answered.

"What on earth for?-you haven't yet made up your mind whether it is a good thing or not."

"My boy," said I, "I fear this is an uphill business; Brown is such an infernally purseproud fellow, he'll never think you rich enough."

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Fanny has given her promise to me." “Well, Harry, we'll do our best in the affair. Just step round to Brown's office, say I'm too busy to come myself, tell him to put me down as a director, and say I'll take a hundred shares in the omnibus company."

Harry pressed my hand very hard and hurried off.

"Poor boy," I thought to myself. "I trust it is not a very serious business; I know Brown will never let him have his daughter."

In a quarter of an hour, Harry burst with glee into my office; Father," said he,-he sometimes calls me father-"Brown is so pleased; he's asked us to dine with him tomorrow, quite in a friendly way, to talk over the company. I was to be sure and tell you it was only a family dinner."

"We will go by all means, Harry.”

"You dear good friend!" said he, clasping my hand, "I must tell you all about it."

"But I'm very busy, my boy." I might as well have tried to stop an express train with my hands.

It was the old story; fresh and new to Harry as the words fell from his fluent lips. Bless the lad! he thought his love tale, his experiences, were quite novel, that mortal had never uttered the like before-it was just as if some one were telling me my own love story, word for word, with the names changed. A young man with next to nothing had fallen deeply in love with the daughter of rich parents -they two had sworn eternal fidelity. How Harry clung to that pledge! He knew she would be true to him! I looked up at his face, I saw how hopeful and confident he was— s-wella-day, years ago I too had been very hopeful, very confident, but

I know that I was very nervous when we arrived at Brown's, and I fancy Harry was also. There was a look of greater display about the house than a "family dinner required, for although Brown is as rich as Croesus, he is an essentially mean man, and never makes a display unless it is advantageous to do so.

Mrs. Brown was in the drawing-room, and received us with cold stateliness. Her dress was a magnificent triumph of cost over taste, and her manner told me in a moment that she had never intended us to be invited. Presently in came Brown and his daughter. Brown was

very cordial in his manner, only I could see he did not mean it; he was profusely polite to Harry, engaging him in eager conversation, which prevented Harry from more than saying "How d'ye do?" to Fanny, who sat some way apart. She really is a very pretty girl, a charming figure, dark hair, dark pensive eyes, a nose delicately retroussé-I wish I could describe faces; I can't, I can only say it was a face that went to your heart and stopped there

-the red roses twined in that dark hair, and the misty white dress, it was a pretty sight, even to my old eyes-it must have driven Harry half wild to have to listen to this and that " spec." " instead of talking to her. I endeavoured to rescue him, but Mrs. Brown kept me engaged in conversation.

Presently, bang bang bang bang! at the house door.

In a moment Mrs. Brown's stately aspect forsook her, she grew very nervous, and Brown fidgeted about the room in an anxious manner.

The Honourable Mrs. Denby and Mr. Denby were announced.

They appeared to be mother and son, and were evidently people of great account, Mr. and Mrs. Brown being so wonderfully deferential in their greeting. I could see Mr. Denby's well-bred lip curl beneath the over

66 They are not so young as they were, Harry," I replied, glad of the excuse; "I don't think these glasses quite suit me. So, my boy, you haven't said anything to Brown yet?"

"Why, I haven't had a good opportunity, but perhaps to-morrow night-" he answered, hesitatingly.

It was agreed that Harry should call for me at my little bachelor box at Bayswater, and that we should go together to Brown's. He came at the appointed moment; the fellow never looked handsomer in his life; we did not

Brown himself, his head was totally lost-he introduced us under wrong names, talked wildly and at random about the weather, and at last subsided into hopeless silence on a spider chair.

Mrs. Denby's easy manner lulled the assiduities of Mrs. Brown, and they sat confidentially talking on a sofa, whence the murmur of a conversation fell on my ears which was studded with rich words-"Lord, Lady, Earl, Countess, Duke, Duchess, Court, Queen, feathers, trains, diamonds, carriages, Morning Post."

As for that fellow Denby, I took a dislike

to the man at once; there was a superciliousness about him that greatly annoyed me. Dinner was announced; Brown's head was off again.

To my astonishment I was thrust halfway towards the door with Mrs. Denby on my arm; Harry in the scramble had got hold of Fanny; when a false start was declared, the order of the company was changed, and Fanny was assigned to Denby.

"Treat you quite in a friendly way!" said Brown, pompously, addressing the company generally. I was out of patience to hear the man talk such nonsense. It was a most elaborate dinner; the table was arranged with ware of the Copeland or Minton order, charming fancies, delicately modelled, crowned with flower and fruit superstructures.

"Quite in a friendly way, ma'am," said Brown, addressing Mrs. Denby specially. I could see the smile which Mrs. Denby took care to hide from her host; she was evidently a woman of great tact; in a few minutes Brown was talking to her quite at his ease about the Stock Exchange.

Harry sat between Mrs. Denby and myself, she contrived to draw him into conversation -poor boy! I could see he was ill at ease; the centre ornament of the table completely shut him out from Fanny, who sat opposite with Denby.

attack upon the Danish question, and went from thence to diplomacy in general; at last I observed that he began to listen to me with attention. My opinions are adverse to our present system of diplomacy, and I expressed them freely; my sarcastic strictures appeared to amuse Mr. Denby, when suddenly, to my surprise, Brown bridled up fiercely in favour of the present system, and in a somewhat hectoring manner tried to controvert all I said. Brown quite puzzled me. I recollected, when he belonged to the Administrative Reform Association, that the inefficiency of our diplomacy was his pet point, but the secret came out on my appealing to Mr. Denby for his support.

"Well," said that gentleman, speaking in a perfectly unconcerned manner, “I am aware that there are certain anomalies in the system--"

"There!" said I triumphantly to Brown.

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But," continued he, "with regard to the gross stupidity, as you are pleased to term it, of the persons employed in the diplomatic service, it is scarcely becoming that I should give an opinion either way, having myself had the honour of belonging to that service for many years."

Confound the fellow ! I had to stammer out some stupid apology, which he received with irritating politeness.

see he completely bored her. I tried to divert his conversation to myself. I spoke to him upon every subject I could think of, but he only vouchsafed polite monosyllables to me, and still kept on conversing with Fanny, and then Mrs. Brown attacked me on the flank and forced me to listen to her.

"Did I know Lord This That? a very handsome man! and Lady The Other, such a beautiful woman! didn't I think so? and then her cousin the Countess of What's-her-name."

I told Mrs. Brown I was not acquainted with any of these people, but nothing could stop her conversation about fashionable folks; it was positively as if the whole of Burke's Peerage were fermenting in her head, every other word she uttered was a title, and then she would appeal on doubtful points to Mrs. Denby, and to my surprise Brown himself chimed into the conversation and talked very glibly of high people. Why, I could recollect the time when he sneered at aristocracies and great folks, and wanted to make short work of the House of Lords.

I was determined, however, not to be diverted from my resolution of breaking up Denby's conversation with Fanny. I based my

left us.

All this time Brown had been gradually getting quite at his ease. I take it that dinner is a great democrat and leveller of distinctions; a participation in the same entrée is a declaration of that humanity which belongs alike to great dukes and insignificant commoners. Dinner, at least, had this effect upon Brown; he became quite at home with Denby, calling him "My boy! Old fellow!" toasting him as future chairman of the Steam Omnibus Company. I could see that Denby winced under all this, but he was just as polite as his mother.

"It must be that the man is hard up and wants to borrow money," I thought; "that's the meaning, too, of all the attention he has been paying to Brown's daughter." At last Brown grew supremely confidential, and informed us of the cost of all the prominent objects in the room, from the big pine and fine dessert service on the table, to the black old masters on the walls.

At length a move was made for the drawingroom; the two younger gentlemen had departed, and I was about to follow them, when Brown playfully detained me by the tails of my coat, and then, as I was such an old friend,