towards the close of the wedding, when | since he has grown so thin, and so talkathe feet were weary, and the lovely eyes tive." And going into the "temple of drooped, and the bright clouds of hair art," as carpenter Schultz called his ediwere tumbled about as if a storm-wind had fice, and finding the architect sitting there, blown through them, then the weary absorbed in admiration of his work and a flowers drooped their heads and whispered bottle of Bavarian beer, he said, "Schultz, to each other, "I wish it were over; noth-you have done your part, and I have done ing gives one such a longing for the quiet mine; but, you shall see, Jochen will spoil night, as all this gaiety." How much bet- the whole performance, with his stupid reter we do things at present! The artificial lations, so that it will turn out like a mess flowers stand up brisk and lively, and say, of sour porridge." Always ready! Our stems and strings "I have nothing to say about it, being hold out, and when this is over, they will only a guest here," said Herr Schultz, lay us away in a box; and we shall get" but if they are what you say, then, out rested, and when another time comes we with them!" are always ready!" Ah, how the world has improved! If they could only keep fresh and bright the youthful limbs and the fresh lungs and the innocent hearts, well, for all me, the whole pretty fairies themselves, with their wires and threads and steel springs!

Brasig distributed invitations for Frau Nüssler and Jochen with a free hand, and had selected from Rahnstadt and the vicinity a fine company of neat, willing and active dancers, and although there was now and then a crooked stick among the men, it was no matter, said Uncle Brasig, for you could see a man's legs distinctly enough, and could beware of them. Besides the Rahnstadters and a few others in the region, Jochen Nüssler had, through Rudolph, invited all his relations, a very widespreading race. Not that they themselves were so wide-spreading, I only mean the relationship, and they were scattered widely over all Mecklenburg and Pommerania.

And Bräsig walked up and down the garden, like a tree-frog, not that he had on a green coat, for he wore his nice brown one, with the yellow vest, no, he was like a tree-frog only because he prophesied foul weather before night. All at once, he looked over the garden fence, and saw Jochen's own" phantom" approaching, not driven by Krischan, but by a day-laborer, and looking nearer he saw two women sitting in it, and when he looked nearer still, there sat his own sister the widow of the dairy-farmer Korthals, with her only daughter, who lived far away, in straitened circumstances, in a village in Pomerania.

"God preserve us!" he cried, "my own sister! And her little Lotting, too! This is her doing!" and running through the kitchen to the hall, he met Frau Nüssler, and cried, "You have done this for me! Oh, you are

was long years since she had seen him.

Just then two ladies entered the hall, very simply dressed, but both of them There sat uncle Luting, there Uncle lovely as pictures; the older, with tears Krischaning, there Uncle Hanning, and of emotion and gratitude running down there Cousin Wilhelming,-" who is my her friendly, true-hearted face, the own second cousin, and a very witty younger, with her fresh, innocent soul fellow, when it comes to eating and drink-shining out of great blue eyes, under a ing," said Jochen,- and there sat Aunt cloud of golden hair, and asking, "Where Dining, and Aunt Stining, and Aunt Mi- is my dear, good Uncle Zachary?" for it ning, and Aunt Lining, and Aunt Rining,"and Aunt Zaphie is coming too," said Jochen, "who was an extremely fine woman in her day." "She has been here this great while," said Bräsig. And as one stately equipage after another drove up to the Rexow court, and the whole Nüssler family in a company stood around Jochen, welcoming each other, and inquiring how things had gone for the last sixteen or twenty years,- for it was as long as that since they had seen each other, and those who knew how to write never did.- Bräsig said to Frau Nüssler:

"Here! here!" he cried, and pulled and pushed his dear relations through the hall, till he got them up to Frau Nüssler, and said, "There she is; now thank her!" And when the two had expressed their gratitude, and turned round again to look for him, he was gone. Like a miller, who has started his mill, and poured the corn into the hopper, he had crowded his way through the stout meal-bags of the Nüssler family, and now sat in the arbor, in the garden, blowing and trumpeting at his nose, until Schultz the carpenter decamped A very constant race, these Nüsslers! with his beer-bottle from the temple of Regular thorough-bred Nüsslers! Only art, believing that the musicians had arJochen is a little different from the rest, rived.

But they did not come yet; first came | ing of old times, and every other word Kurz and the rector, each with his good was Zachary," and Louise and the little old advocate at his side, and when they had assessor had Lotting between them. and been presented, and had crowded about, every other word was "Uncle Bräsig." for a while, in the room with the Nüssler family, old Uncle Luting Nüssler came up to Kurz, in a pompous, overbearing way, and said, in a deep voice, "You can congratulate yourself upon being connected afresh with such a rich and noble relationship. Do you see," and he pointed to Uncle Krischan, who had just thrown himself upon the sofa, "there tumbles a hundred thousand thalers."

"I don't do it for that," said Uncle Krischan.

Well, that made Kurz angry, but he restrained himself; but when Uncle Luting went on to ask, "Have you ever in your life seen so many rich people together in one company?" then Kurz's wrath broke out, and he replied, "No! nor ever in my life so many blockheads!"

He turned away, and his wife, who had heard it, followed him and said, "Kurz, I beg you, for God's sake, don't begin again with your democracy! It would be much better for you to go to bed at once." He would not do that, but he was placed under the ban, for the whole evening, by all the Nüssler family.

And Pastor Gottlieb came with Lining, and they were treated with great respect by their elders, because they were to perform the marriage ceremony. Don't misunderstand me! Not that Lining herself was to marry them, not at all! but, for once in her life, she had interfered in Gottlieb's professional affairs, and had altered his marriage ceremony a little, so that Gottlieb said it was not like a Christian minister's speech, it was more like a family speech; but she remained firm in her position that as Mining's twin she ought to know what would go most to her heart, and Gottlieb had to yield to her.

Then came a great harvest wagon,,with flowers and wreaths, Krischan the coachman driving the four horses, in the saddle, in his new yellow buckskins, his whip ornamented with red and blue ribbons, and he himself with a wreath of roses around his hat, which looked uncommonly as if the old hat were celebrating its fiftieth golden wedding, upon this occasion, and on the front seat, sat David Berger, the townmusician, playing on his clarionet :

"Wer niemals sinen Rausch gehabt,

Das ist kein braver Mann,"

and behind him sat his companions, blow-
ing the same tune, though not in the same
time, for since they sat on the second,
third and fourth seats they could not pos-
sibly keep it, since he was always three
ahead of them; and when he turned round
angrily, or Krischan would go faster and
used his whip, he always got his hair
pulled, for one of his mischievous compan-
ions had fastened the handle of the whip
to his back hair, and when Krischan touched
the whip, or when he stirred himself, he
was in constant torment.

And behind this wagon came another
harvest wagon, full of white dresses, and
from under the white dresses peeped
pretty little dancing feet, and above them,
on the round heads, nodded roses and
pinks, which looked out modestly from the
curly locks, as if they were too bashful to
glance at the pretty faces. These were the
little fairies. And right in the the midst of
the fairies sat the Herr Postmaster, in his
new uniform, the only one Rahnstadt had
to show, ― otherwise he would not have
arrived at such an honor, and sung, gay
as a finch, his finest song in this garden
of roses. Behind this wagon came yet
another harvest wagon, loaded with gen-
tlemen, with dancers, the best dancers in
Rahnstadt, and Kurz's Herr Süssmann
danced along the wagon pole in front, and
the Herr Rector's youngest pupil sat, with
his legs dangling in the air, behind.

And now came Habermann, with the Frau Pastorin and Louise and the little assessor, driving up in a glass coach, for the Frau Pastorin had said, "So, and in no other way!" She had once been compelled to decline a wedding invitation from Frau Nüssler, in her great sorrow, and The guests all looked very joyous, but now she would make up for it in her great the Frau Hostess was in the greatest perpleaure at this second wedding, and then plexity, for she was not acquainted with a she pressed the hands of Habermann and single one of them, since Brasig had seLouise and the little assessor, saying, lected them merely with reference to their "Isn't it so? We are all happy to-day." capacities for dancing, and she called for So they came to Rexow, and when they Bräsig; but when he finally came Krischan arrived Habermann saw Bräsig's sister, the coachman had brought them all in, whom he had known years ago, and it was and undertook to dispose of them. He not long before they sat together, talk-opened the doors of the kitchen and din

ing-room, and shoved them all in: "In going up to Louise Habermann, he made with you, there! Take it easy! Get aa bow, saying, "My Fräulein, if you are Ittle something to eat and drink; they are ready, it is time," usually he called her not ready yet!" "Louise," but to-day he was a groomsman, And the advice was good, for the mar- and must do what was proper. And Fritz riage was delayed a little, because one of Triddelsitz went up to the little assessor, the groomsmen had not yet arrived, namely for she was the other bride's maid, and Fritz Triddelsitz, who at Rudolph's re- Kurz and Rector Baldrian placed themquest had been persuaded to remove the selves as leaders by Rudolph, and when ban from the Nüssler house, and to officiate young Jochen after some delay was shoved in that capacity. At last he came, riding forward, he stood by his Mining, and on up the court on his dapple-gray and in full his other side stood Habermann, for they state, and mingled among the guests with were the two leaders for the bride.- and so much dignity, and bowed right and then the procession moved to carpenter left with so much elegance, that the rec- Schultz's temple of art, where Gottlieb tor's foolish little pupil whispered in stood behind a green and white altar, and Herr Sussmann's ear: What a pity that began to read Lining's marriage cerewe are all ready, he might have helped mony. us." Whereupon Herr Sussmann re- I know very well that a marriage at garded him with a look of compassion, home is not thought much of, -now-aand turning to Brasig, who stood at his days all marriages must be celebrated in other side, said, "Herr Inspector, have church, and I have nothing against it, for I you heard that I am chosen dance-direct- was married in church myself about that or for our fraternity ball, day after to- time, since my wife was a minister's daughmorrow ?" ter, and would not have it otherwise; but, as I was saying, at that time this kind of marriage ceremony had not been established in Mecklenburg by the ecclesiastical consistory, and the old modes were still in fashion, and children were married as their

Brasig was going to tell him that he would be a blockhead if he undertook it, for Kurz would discharge him, but he did not have time to say it, for just then the bridal pair entered the room.

Rudolph was truly a fine looking bride-parents had been. New modes were in groom. His fresh, joyous demeanor was hidden, to-day, under a quiet earnestness, and only the firm resolve under all circumstances to fight for his wife and himself, like an honest fellow, shone in his brown eyes. Yes, he was a handsome bridegroom, for when does a man look handsoner than when, full of courage and hope, he goes out to his first conflict? Who could blame his mother. the good old advocate, for going up to him at this moment, and kissing him, and stroking his brown curls, and secretly pulling out his ruffle a little, from the dress coat, so that people might see it?"

And now Mining! Mining looked, in her white satin dress and myrtle wreath, like a Bauersdorf apple, freshly plucked from the tree, and laid in its green leaves on a silver salver. Fresh and cool outside, as the ripe fruit, but her heart was glowing, and before Gottlieb had uttered a word of the ceremony, there was a pair betrothed, confident hope and quiet Flessedness had joined hands. And Frau Nüssler was crying quietly behind her handkerchief, and saying to Brasig, "I cannot help it, she is my last, my youngest." And Bräsig looked at her, full of friendliness, and said, "Frau Nüssler, control yourself! It will soon be over; " and

fashion too, as Krischan Schultz said, when he fastened his horse by the tail; but Gottlieb knew nothing about them, and if he had known about them, and had wished to fasten his horse in the new mode, Lining would not have allowed it; Lining was a married woman, but she would not allow her other half to disgrace himself before these rich, stout, stupid Nüsslers, and the Rahn-tadt shopmen and school-boys, or that her twin sister should have her marriage feast spoiled by an ecclesiastical consistory, although she was the most dignified of pastors' wives, that is, after the Frau Pastorin, who was always the nearest.

After the ceremony, the two little twinapples lay in each other's arms, in full, untroubled blessedness, and Rudolph_embraced them both together, and Frau Nüssler stood a little aside, looking over her handkerchief, with her head turned over our shoulder, as if she were listening to something, - possibly the angel's song,

- and as the stout, rich, stupid Nüsslers pressed around, with their congratulations, young Jochen stood among them and bowed to this one and that, as if it were his own wedding-day over again: "Uncle Luting, it is my Mining! Cousin Wilhelming, it is our little governess! Aunt Zaphie, what

shall we do about it!" These people the Frau Pastorin suffered it, with crowded up, the men with their bright out thinking any harm; but when Aunt waistcoats, and gold watch-chains across Zaphie, who had formerly been very their breasts, and the women with whole handsome, and a sort of Venus among the flower-pots on their caps, and some of Nüsslers, gave Rudolph three or four them with dropping eyes, as if the flower- kisses, the little Frau Pastorin was startpots had been watered too plentifully, and led, and when Bräsig approached his lips were running over. And the men and the again, in such a friendly way, she said, women of Jochen's family kissed, alter-"Bräsig, you ought to be ashamed of yournately, Rudolph and Mining, as if before self! What have you particularly to do all things they must be taken into this with me?" rich, stout, stupid relationship, so that

And Bräsig drew back embarrassed, and

Kurz at last grew terribly angry, because said, "Frau Pastorin, don't take it unhe could not reach his new daughter-in- kindly, but my feelings ran away with me," law, and for once his good old advocate and he brought the Frau Pastorin to agreed with him, because she could not Habermann, saying, "Karl, you must exreach her own son. And the Rahnstadt change. Louise is my bride's maid, and I dancers also crowded about and wandered am a bachelor, and you and the Frau Pasaround the pair, and what else could they torin are both widowers, and that is suitdo? they could not have their kisses yet; able." and among this company stood Fritz Triddelsitz with the little assessor, tall and slender and imposing, not as a groomsman, no, as commander of the whole, and behind him stood the rector's little pupil, imitating with his short body and black woolen stockings all the motions that Fritz made with his long body and black silk stockings. He was Fritz's natural shadow, that is, at noon-day, when shadows are short.

Near by stood two other couples, who were not crowding up, for they were suffficiently occupied with themselves, and had time to spare; these were Habermann and his Louise, and Uncle Bräsig and the Frau Pastorin. Louise lay with her head on her father's breast, looking up to him, as if she had been long ill, and had been brought out from her couch, for the first time, into the free air, and the blue sky seemed to say: "Better days! better days!" and her face looked as peaceful and happy as the blue sky, and sun and moon and stars might wander there, and dew and rain might fall, to refresh and rejoice and enlighten mankind. Close to this pair stood Zachary Bräsig, with his arm round the little Frau Pastorin, and his eyebrows elevated, and he blew his nose, and said, "My little Mining! My little goddaughter! How happy she is!" and every time that one of the old, stout Nüsslers gave Mining a kiss, he bent down to the Frau Pastorin, and gave her a kiss, as if he must make up to this good old lady what the stupid old people were inflicting upon Mining. "You see, because!" as our servant maid, Lisette, says, here in Eisenach, when she can think of no other reason. And so Brasig kissed the Frau Pastorin, and

but

Mining had taken her Rudolph by the hand, and, when she saw her dearest and oldest friends standing a little on one side, had made various efforts to penetrate the sand-bags of stout, rich, stupid Nüsslers, and the wooden palisades of shopmen and school-boys, but without success; when her brand new husband saw her futile manoeuvres, he came to her assistance, shoved aside sand-bag No. 1, the rich Uncle Luting, and sand-bag No. 2, the witty cousin Wilhelming, grasped the longest palisade, Fritz Triddelsitz himself, in the short ribs, and moved him gently te another place, and neatly sent his pupilshadow after him, and having thus made a breach through obstinacy, stupidity and tedium, - certainly no easy thing to do, he brought his brand new bride to the people, who instead of congratulating her with flower-pots, and gay waistcoats and gold watch-chains, did it with what lies beneath them, their heads and their hearts. And when Frau Nüssler came up, and pressed her children, alternately, to her heart, Rudolph wiped the tears from his eyes, and said, "Let us all come out into the garden, and be by ourselves a little while."

And the carpenter, Schultz, who stood near and heard him, said: "Yes, out with you! All of you, out! We must set the tables here!" and he began to shove the rich Nüsslers about as if they were blocks and lumber. And when our company, I say our had come to the famous arbor, Brasig pointed to the cherry-tree, and said, "Mining, this tree must be an indicium and a token to you, all your life, since your future was decided under it, and under me that time; and since we are talk

ing about tokens, Mining, bring me a blue) larkspur again, there is one !"

Then the feast began, and Frau Nüssler's little waiting-maids, with their fresh faces And when Mining had gone for it Uncle and three-cornered caps, and white bibBräsig said, "Rudolph, have you always aprons, ran about the temple of art, and remembered the blue larkspur? And turned and whirled like humming tops,when Rudolph said he had, Brasig looked for the old waiters with their shabby in his clear eyes, and then examined him black dress-coats, and white neck-ties à la from head to foot, and said, "I believe turkey-cock, and white cotton gloves which you!" and when Mining came back with are always dipping into the gravy, were the flower he said, "Thank you, Mining! not the fashion then,- and the stout And now I will give you my wedding Nüsslers sat there and ate, as if there were present for it," and he pulled out an old, a French commissary in their stomachs, thick, black pocket-book from his brown provisioning an army for a Russian camcoat, and rummaged among his old milk paign, and when they had finished the and corn accounts, and took out a withered fricassee they began on the pudding, and flower, saying, See, my little godchild, when they had disposed of the pudding this is the flower of that time," and he they attacked the roasted pigeons and held it towards her with the fresh blossom, sparrows, and wondered that the pigeons -"and if, after long years, Rudolph can in Mecklenburg were not as large as the look at you with the same clear eyes, and geese, and murmured against providence give you this new flower, then you may because sparrows were not as thick as say, 'I have been a happy wife.' I have hops, and when the roast meat came, nothing more to say, nothing! and I have Cousin Wilhelming, the wit of the Nüssler nothing else to give you, nothing at all!" family, stood up and clinked his glass, and and with that he walked away, and our cried, "Quiet!" three times, and holding company heard him saying to himself, up his glass said, "To the health of the "Nothing at all! but this indicium, Ru-old General Knusemong (que nous aimons), dolph's indicium!" And when they found him again, he was walking with his sister and his niece Lotting, and the two women were caressing and thanking him, because he had never forgotten or forsaken them.

who has been a very distinguished general, and is so to this day!" and with that he looked towards the young pair, blinking with his left eye at Mining, and with his right at Rudolph. And Uncle Luting

66

Then Frau Nüssler came up to our comunderstand me, the rich Uncle Luting pany: "Come children, all is ready. But - stood up expressly for the purpose, and don't take it ill! Jochen's family are the said, Wilhelming, you are a devilish most distinguished, and I cannot offend fellow!" And Bräsig said to the Frau Jochen to-day, - he is master for this once, Pastorin, "Frau Pastorin, I know you are -they must sit nearest the bridal pair. opposed to the Reform, but I assure you Kurz and his wife, of course, will sit the witty shoemaker in the Reform would among them, for, as you say, Frau Pasto-have done it much better!" And Frau rin, they are the nearest, and Gottlieb and Nüssler sat on thorns and thistles, in disLining must also sit there, he as clergy-tress lest Jochen should take it into his man, and she as twin, and Jochen, too, because they are his friends. But we, Frau Pastorin, Karl, Louise, and you, Brasig! we will sit together at one end, and it shall be a merry wedding."

"A la bong kör!" said Bräsig, "but where is the shopman, Süssmann, I must speak to him about the fraternity ball."

Oh, bless you! the poor fellow is sitting in the back kitchen; he and Triddelsitz were performing some kind of antics over a heap of pea-straw, and he fell, and something split, and Krischan had to get him Jochen's old blue trousers, and he will not let himself be seen by daylight, but is waiting until evening, when they will not noticed."

"And he wants to be dance-director!" said Bräsig, as he followed our company to the hall.

head to make a speech; but Jochen restrained himself, his speeches were not for the world at large, they were only for the neighborhood, and all he said was, "Wilhelming, fill Luting's glass! Luting, help Wilhelming!"

And when the punch-bowls were placed on the table, and the champagne came, the old Nüsslers looked at the labels, and said they had just such in their cellars, and Fritz Triddelsitz and the Herr Shopmen and the Herr Pupils drank one glass after another, losing no time, until the left wing of the wedding-army became so uproarious that the little assessor remarked to the commander of these light troops, to Fritz Triddelsitz, that if they were to attack the enemy in that condition they would be obliged to retreat, and when Fritz was making arrangements to withdraw his forces,