No. CLXXXIX.

Ir was so long a time since we had opened the note-book, on the pages of which are jotted down, just as they occurred, many of the incidents of that agreeable year we spent among the students, that we had almost forgotten its very existence.

A few

weeks ago, however, upon one of these raw, uncomfortable mornings when the splashy mud underfoot, and the agreeable mixture of sleet and rain overhead, left us no alternative but to remain within doors, having nothing better to do we occupied ourselves in setting our house (we should possibly have expressed ourselves with more propriety had we said our rooms) in order; and having discovered, in the course of our researches, a certain old, lumbering, black portmanteau, much covered with dust and mildew, we had it lugged down from the place of its concealment. As a matter of course the key was lost, and after much labour and pains spent in effecting a compound fracture of the lock with a poker, it was at length broken open, and, ye gods! what a curious mélange of long-forgotten rubbish was presented to our delighted eye. The green and white chore-cap, in which we became initiated into the mysteries of burschenschaft; the long black boots and white unmentionables which we wore as a fox; the sturm-hut,

VOL. XXXII.-NO. CLXXXIX.

SCHILLER.

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with its edging of white lace, that
adorned our maturer rank; the iron
mask and leathern stock in which we
practised at the Fecht-boden, or fenc-
ing-school; with sundry other articles
suitable to the menage of a well-ap-
pointed student, unnecessary to enu-
merate here: amongst the collec-
tion we discovered that old volume
whose very existence had escaped
our recollection. We fastened upon
it with eagerness, and devoured its
contents with that intense delight
only known to those to whose memory
some unexpected incident recalls of
cherished and happy images.
in quick succession thronged those
forms which we never thought to have
seen again; we were girt with "strange
and dusky aspects," as in days gone
by; our chamber was peopled with
men of grave and solemn deportment,
and beards of strange fashion, puffing
forth volumes of smoke; old songs
were ringing in our ears, with chorus
marked by the clashing of swords and
the ringing of goblets; wild and reck-
less figures passed before us in gro-
tesque dances, brandishing huge cho-
pines of beer. We marvel what has
become of the component parts of that
motley crowd-

"Some are dead, and some are gone,
And some are scattered and alone;"

And he who now pens these lines, and

S

thinks of his former gay and careless associates, is no matter what. He, however, like field-marshal the Duke, presents his compliments to the admiring circle of his readers; and, mending his pen, proceeds to lay before them a few odd scraps from that old volume so unexpectedly rescued from oblivion.

A sunset has been so well described by some one or other-we forget by whom, probably Mr. James-that we shall say no more about it, except to intimate the fact that the sun was setting in unclouded brilliancy as we found ourselves, upon a lovely evening in August, seated at one of the little tables which stands at the corner of that esplanade overlooking the castle of Heidelberg, the old town lying almost at our feet, and a wide tract of beautiful champaign country in the distance. We felt perfectly happywe were in pleasant company, smoking choice tobacco, and the beer was deliciously cool and mild. To and fro were lounging about the usual assortment of German, and of English tourists, always easily to be distinguished by the peculiar cut of their clothes, not to speak of the red books which they will ostentatiously parade in the faces of the natives. That part of the esplanade had always peculiar charms for us besides the magnificent view which it commands, it had been the scene of divers pleasant adventures not necessary to enumerate here. We had there, upon a certain occasion, enjoyed the extreme satisfaction of putting a certain elderly lady, whom we did not like, and who, it is but just to add, had no very especial regard for us-she had, however, such a charming daughter!-into a passion, which agree able result was attained by the following process. She had invited a few friends to spend the evening at her house, and by the way of putting in some of the hours which might hang heavily upon hand, her rooms being too small to admit of dancing, the whole party were invited to walk up to the castle, in order to be regaled with tea; and we, for the purpose of detaching us from the young lady, were sent on as a sort of avant courier to make the necessary preparations.

"Be sure you order tea and coffee for the whole party," said Mrs. Tomkins, in parting.

"Certainly," replied we, as we departed on our errand.

The

We executed this order with a vengeance. It may be as well here to explain, for the benefit of our untravelled readers, if any such there be in these days of universal locomotion, that a cup of coffee, ordered singly, costs only the moderate sum of six kreutzers or two pence, whereas for the same refreshment, when ordered for each person, a florin is the usual charge; because in this case one can have as many cups as one chooses to drink. party which accompanied us amounted to twenty at least, and we took good care to execute the order with which we were entrusted in the most comprehensive and liberal spirit; so that when our companions arrived, they found a table, on which a smoking urn hissed and spluttered, covered with a snowy table-cloth, on which was laid in tempting profusion every delicacy of the season.

Our hostess looked on in amazement, first at the table and then at us; soon a dark shadow, like a thunder-cloud, flitted across her face, as the fearful amount of her liabilities dawned upon her.

"It was a cup of coffee for each I requested you to order," said she, in a savage whisper, distinctly audible by the whole company, the portion of whom very fortunately did not understand one word of English.

66

Have we not fulfilled your wishes, madame?" replied we, with becoming meekness.

The lady seemed for a moment to balance between her love of display, her aspirations after economical arrangement, and her dread of offending her guests. There was evidently a fearful struggle going on between these conflicting emotions as she counted out into the extended hand of the attendant, Kelner, to his satisfaction and our great delight, the twenty bright large pieces of silver. But in addition to this agreeable incident, which fully satiated our desires of vengeance, the place where we were then seated had many most agreeable associations. It was there we used to sit by the hour in the warm sunshine, listening to the quaint legends of student life and adventures, of which one of our friends had an abundant store. We shall now proceed to lay before our readers a few fragments of a history with which he once entertained us, as nearly as possible in his own