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HARRY ASCOTT ABROAD 
 
 BY 
 
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 MATTHEW WHITE, Jr. 
 
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 .^-^f OF Coi^JS 
 
 V > 1879. Q'^. 
 
 NEW YORK 
 THE AUTHORS' PUBLISHING COMPANY 
 
 Bond Street 
 
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 Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1879, t»y 
 
 THE AUTHORS' PUBLISHING COMPANY, 
 
 In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. 
 
 |T»K ubraryI 
 QycoyoitBasf 
 
TO 
 
 OUR YOUNG FOLKS 
 
 AT HOME. 
 
HARRY ASCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 " So you're the young chap that's going to Europe 
 all alone, are you ?" 
 
 I lifted my head, for I had been hanging over the 
 guard-rail looking down at the sea, and saw beside 
 me a short, stout gentleman, with a very red face and 
 a great many wraps about him. I simply replied, 
 ** Yes, sir," and waited for him to go on, as this was 
 about the sixth time the same thing had been said to 
 me since the steamer's departure from New York 
 the day before. 
 
 "Europe's a big country, a very big country," 
 continued the stout gentleman, and then he slowly 
 shook his head, looking at me all the while in a most 
 sympathizing manner. 
 
 *' When do you think we shall reach Hamburg, 
 sir?" I ventured to ask, hoping to stop the motion 
 of his head, for it certainly made me feel very un- 
 comfortable, and as if I were going to a land full of 
 wild beasts, which would devour me with great rel- 
 ish immediately on my arrival. 
 
 5 
 
6 HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 " I don't know, I don't know," and then he began 
 to shake his head more gravely than before, as 
 though he expected a storm to make shipwreck of 
 us the very next day, so I was heartily glad when 
 he left me to myself. 
 
 Then I extended my arms along the rail again, 
 rested my chin on my hands, my eyes on the waves, 
 and tried to realize for the hundredth time that it was 
 really I, Harry Ascott, of New York, fifteen years 
 old, five feet and so many inches high, who was 
 now on board the Hamburg steamer bound for a 
 year's residence in that wonderful land of kings, 
 queens, palaces, and castles called — ^abroad. My 
 thoughts went back to the day when my father re- 
 ceived a letter from an old college friend, an English- 
 man, whose son was at school in the little German 
 town of Burgdorf, where the advantages were supe- 
 rior, the terms low, and nothing but German spoken. 
 The writer had then gone on to say how easy it 
 would be to put me under the care of their mutual 
 friend. Captain Eisnach, and send me out to be 
 educated " on the Continent." 
 
 And then I seemed to hear all over again my 
 mother's objections, my sister's pleadings to go too, 
 and my father's words of advice in regard to my 
 conduct in general, and money matters in par- 
 ticular. And then T was on board bidding them 
 all good-by, with Tom, Will, and John from the 
 
HARRY ASCOTT ABROAD. 7 
 
 Academy begging me to write often and not forget 
 them. 
 
 Thus my mind was brought back to the sea, where 
 my eyes were, whereupon I fell to wondering about 
 the country to which I was going, till two bells 
 struck, which meant one o'clock and lunch. 
 
 There were not many cabin passengers, as April 
 was too early in the season, and those few did not 
 particularly interest me, as they were mostly old 
 men and young women. The captain, however, was 
 very kind, had me sit near him at table, and fre- 
 quently related long stories about the pranks he and 
 my father and the other boy's father used to play 
 when they were young, at which he himself would 
 laugh immoderately ; but which struck me. Young 
 America as I was, as being rather old fogy and out 
 of date, although, of course, I did not say so. 
 
 I had not felt at all sick thus far, and passed most 
 of the day either looking at the sea and meditating 
 in the manner I have described, or in learning Ger- 
 man travelling phrases out of my guide-book, such 
 as " Where do we change cars ?" " How long do we 
 stop here ?" etc., etc. From the first I had not been 
 a bit home-sick, on the contrary, looking forward 
 with a great deal of pleasure and curiosity to my 
 new home in the professor's family at Burgdorf. 
 Then, too, I wondered not a little as to what sort 
 of a fellow the Englishman's son would be, whether 
 
8 HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 he would turn out as tip-top a lad as Tom Vintlej, 
 my chum. On these occasions I would fall to think- 
 ing about Tom, and how very far away from him I 
 was going, when somebody would shout, " Ship a- 
 hoy I" whereupon I would run to get my glass and 
 try to ** make her out." 
 
 Of my stout friend I did not see much after that 
 second day out, as most of the time he was suffering 
 the pangs unutterable in his berth, and when he did 
 come up-stairs to sit in the little cuddy, where I some- 
 times retired to read, he would groan and lean his 
 head against the side in such awful agony, that I 
 several times feared he would die on the spot. And 
 this reminds me that I have not yet mentioned my 
 room-mate, a young German professor, with whom 
 my father and the captain had quartered me, in the 
 hope that I would thus become more accustomed to 
 the language. 
 
 But as this poor fellow was ill the whole voyage, 
 and as the only Avords I ever heard him utter were, 
 " Ach, mein Gott ! Mein Gott !" I don't see that 
 his presence did me much good. 
 
 Thus the days Avore on, each like the other, for 
 there was no service in the cabin on Sundays as on 
 the English steamers. Indeed Sunday was even 
 more gay than other days, for in the afternoon the 
 steerage passengers danced to the tune of a squeaky 
 fiddle, while the Germans in the saloon played more 
 
HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD, 9 
 
 games of cards and drank more wine and beer than 
 usual. 
 
 At first this seemed very strange to me, and I 
 thought what fit pupils they would all be for the 
 mission schools at home ; but I am sorry to say that 
 I soon became used to this sort of living, as Sunday 
 on the Continent is much more of a holiday than 
 holyday. 
 
 At length the sea voyage was over, and we steamed 
 through the English Channel on a lovely sunshiny 
 morning, and made our first landing at Plymouth. 
 
 Oh, how good it looked to see the green fields of 
 England, and then the streets of the town ! 
 
 " So this is Europe," I thought as I gazed toward 
 the shore and watched the lively transfer of passen- 
 gers and mail. But I did not have time to make 
 many observations, for after a very short stop the 
 anchor was weighed, the sails unfurled to a fair 
 breeze, and under a full press of canvas and steam 
 we went on our way across the Channel to Cher- 
 bourg in France, which place, however, as we called 
 there in the night, I did not see. 
 
 While we lay at Plymouth both the stout gentle- 
 man and the young professor appeared on deck, 
 each seeming quite cheerful and recovered ; but as 
 soon as we left port they quickly disappeared, and 
 on going to bed I heard my room-mate muttering 
 over those three words again. 
 
10 HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 The next morning when I got up I found we had 
 passed through the Straits of Dover and were in the 
 North Sea or German Ocean, which piece of water, 
 on that day at least, was by no means a smooth one. 
 Indeed, when we were off the Scilly Islands, where 
 the Schiller was lost, the ship gave such lurches and 
 creakings, groanings and strainings, that the only 
 lady who was able to leave her room sprang up 
 from the dinner table, screamed, fainted away, and 
 being placed upon one of the sofas was immediately 
 rolled off again by a sudden pitch of the vessel, and 
 for a time there was great commotion in the cabin. 
 
 The storm subsided during the night, and the next 
 morning the ship entered the river Elbe, and steamed 
 up to Hamburg through a dense fog. 
 
 And now what a busy time there was on board. 
 The donkey engine was set to work hauling up 
 trunks from the hold, everybody put on his best hat 
 and clothes, Avhile the stout gentleman and the pro- 
 fessor seemed like two different beings. It did not 
 take me long to gather my things together, fee the 
 stewards according to the captain's directions, se- 
 cure my money about my person, and single out my 
 trunk from the pile. These things being attended 
 to, I took my place by the pilot-house, and peered 
 forward eagerly to catch the first gHmpse of the city. 
 
 At last, about two in the afternoon, I began to 
 make out a forest of masts through the fog, and in 
 
HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD, H 
 
 half an hour the ship came quietly up to the landing 
 stage. As Hamburg is what they call a free city 
 there is no custom house to pass through on arrival 
 there, although the baggage of persons leaving by 
 the different railroads must be submitted for examin- 
 ation at the several stations ; thus I was enabled 
 to quit the steamer at once and go to the hotel 
 which the captain had selected for me. 
 
 Immediately on the vessel's being made fast, a 
 number of men came on board to take away the lug- 
 gage, and one of these, who to my great joy I heard 
 talking English, I engaged to transport my trunk. 
 Then I went down the gang plank, and for the first 
 time set my foot on European soil. 
 
 The next thing was to find a cab, and seeing a 
 number of them standing round, I went up to one 
 of the drivers, but he muttered something in his 
 queer jargon which sounded like ** nit fry," and 
 pointed with his whip to another carriage, which I 
 had purposely avoided as the horse seemed ready to 
 fall upon its knees and the man did not have a very 
 benevolent expression of countenance. However, 
 there was no help for it, so I marched boldly up to 
 him, shouted out the name of my hotel as though he 
 were deaf, and then sprang into the cab with my 
 bag, while he slowly mounted the box. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 Of course during the ride I did nothing but look 
 out of the window, and at first I confess I was a lit- 
 tle disappointed in the appearance of things, for the 
 streets through which we drove seemed pretty much 
 like those in New York. But before long I began to 
 think I must have made a mistake, and landed in 
 Venice instead of at Hamburg, for there were canals 
 on all sides, and every moment or two I caught 
 glimpses of large sheets of water. Perhaps this was 
 the reason there were so many people in the " dry 
 street," as I named the one we were in, for the side- 
 walks were crowded on both sides, and although I 
 tried hard to discover something queer about the 
 inhabitants, they all looked and walked just as 
 Americans did at home. 
 
 The stores were large and handsome, and several 
 times I felt like stopping my driver — if I had only 
 known how to do it — in order to have a good look 
 in some of the windows. But we had now turned a 
 corner, and skirting the edge of a pond, lake, or river 
 (for during my whole stay in the city I never could 
 exactly settle in my mind what sort of a body of 
 water it really was), the next moment the driver 
 
 12 
 
HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 13 
 
 pulled up his horse, which had gone along more 
 steadily than I had thought it capable of doing even 
 in its days of colthood, and we were standing before 
 the hotel. 
 
 A man with a broad gilt band around his cap, who 
 had been looking through the glass doors, instantly 
 rang a great bell, rushed down the steps, and was 
 immediately followed by three or four waiters, the 
 clerk, and a porter. I got out, looking as important 
 as I knew how, and paid the driver (the captain had 
 counted out for me the exact fare), while the three 
 waiters were trying to carry off my bag, of which I 
 kept a tight hold as it contained not a few of what I 
 considered my most precious possessions. I then 
 walked into the house, followed by a solemn proces- 
 sion of the above-named individuals. 
 
 '' Ein Zivimer !''' I said to the clerk in rather 
 a loud voice, as soon as we were within doors. 
 
 ** Show the gentleman to No. 82," he replied in 
 admirable English, addressing the man of the gilt 
 band. 
 
 Alas for my two German words, which I had spent 
 so much time and pains in learning ! I had pro- 
 nounced the latter of them with a hopeless hissing 
 accent, which at once betrayed me. From that hu- 
 mihating moment till I really could talk tolerably 
 well, I gave up all claims to a knowledge of the 
 " stuff," which in my disgust I then termed it. 
 
14 HARRY ASCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 I meekly followed the man with the key up several 
 flights of stairs to a little room, the window of which 
 looked out upon another nameless body of water 
 just below. As he turned to go, he of the gilt cap 
 stopped and said in a strange voice, as though every 
 word he spoke in English were a stolen one : " Will 
 you come to table d'hote at four ?" 
 
 I thought over the captain's directions a moment 
 till I came to the words table d'hote, and then told 
 him yes, although I was strongly tempted to sdij j'a, 
 of which I felt sure. Thereupon I was left alone, and 
 for the first five or ten minutes I did feel that I was 
 alone in every sense of the word. Perhaps the 
 weather had something to do with this, and indeed 
 it was a most dismal day ; but pretty soon curiosity 
 got the better of any more tender feeling, and hav- 
 ing taken a few necessary articles from my bag, I 
 went to the window to view my surroundings. 
 
 Almost beneath my room was a handsome bridge, 
 which was crossed continually by queer-looking 
 omnibuses with seats running lengthwise on top, and 
 a conductor standing on the step behind, cabs by the 
 hundred, and now and then by a private carriage. 
 But whichever way I turned my eyes there was a 
 cab, and if they were not being driven hither and 
 thither, they were standing in a long line, one behind 
 another, waiting to be engaged. 
 
 Looking across the water to my right, I saw a 
 
HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 1$ 
 
 large open square that seemed to be the terminus for 
 numerous lines of horse-cars. A ride on one of 
 these I set down as an expedition for the morrow, 
 for I was not to leave for Burgdorf till the evening 
 of the day following my arrival at Hamburg. In the 
 midst of my plan-making a great gong sounded, and 
 I went down stairs feehng very curious in regard 
 to my first table d'hote. 
 
 I soon found the dining-room, and was shown to my 
 seat at a long table by one of the waiters who had 
 endeavored to get hold of my bag. There was not 
 a lady present, and each one of the gentlemen ap- 
 peared as solemn as though he were lunching at a 
 funeral. I looked around to see if there were no 
 passengers from the steamer among the guests ; but 
 no, there was not a familiar face in the room. As 
 all were served with the same things, no orders 
 were given, and if it had not been for the rattling of 
 the knives and forks, the silence in that great din- 
 ing-hall would have been something awful. Des- 
 sert over, candles were placed on the tables, at 
 which the gentlemen lighted their cigars, and the 
 room was soon filled with smoke. 
 
 I have forgotten to mention that before I came 
 down, a waiter appeared with a little shp of printed 
 paper, which I was required to fill up with my 
 name, native place, and profession. As I modestly 
 wrote " student" under the latter head I wondered 
 
1 6 HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 they did not want my age too. The next day I was 
 much gratified by seeing all this about me printed 
 in the morning paper among the lists of arrivals. 
 
 The captain was to call at six, and as it was after 
 five when that melancholy dinner was over, I had 
 only time to take a short stroll under the arcades, 
 which formed the ground floor of the hotel, and 
 which I should think were quite a necessity in that 
 land of fogs and rain. 
 
 On my return I got into conversation with the 
 man of the gilt band, and while talking with him, I 
 noticed how different the hotel was from ours in 
 America. There was no bar-room — although what 
 they called a beer-tunnel did a flourishing business in 
 the cellar — no elevator, and no news, cigar, or pho- 
 tograph stands, nor knots of gentlemen standing 
 round. Every thing was as quiet and orderly as in a 
 private boarding-house, and I missed the bustle of 
 our own hotel life not a little. 
 
 Shortly after six the captain arrived, and draw- 
 ing me into the reading-room, questioned me as to 
 how I liked Europe, Hamburg, and the house. As 
 my experience had been rather limited except as to 
 the last, I repHed that I thought it a very nice place, 
 which answer in my opinion covered the whole sub- 
 ject. 
 
 He then inquired how I got along with the Ger- 
 man money, and if I still remembered that a mark 
 
HARRY ASCOTT ABROAD. 17 
 
 was about twenty-five cents, and a pfennig about the 
 fourth of one cent. On my answering these ques- 
 tions affirmatively, he seemed puzzled for a moment 
 as to what he should say next, for he had no sons of 
 his own, and although he was very lively on ship- 
 board, he appeared to feel quite depressed and out 
 of place on shore. At least this is what I then 
 thought must be the matter with him, and that he 
 was really sea- sick, or, in other words, homesick for 
 the sea. 
 
 Suddenly his face brightened, and clapping me on 
 the shoulder with quite a deal of violence, he burst 
 out with : *' Harry, my boy, what do you say to 
 my taking you to the theatre ?' ' 
 
 Now, as I had been for the three years previous 
 at a country boarding school, it may readily be 
 imagined that there had not presented themselves 
 many opportunities of my attending theatrical per- 
 formances, and as I was as much of a boy as any of 
 my readers, "going to the theatre" seemed to me 
 the very summit of all joys. I speedily signified my 
 readiness to accompany the captain, gratefully 
 thanking him for his munificence ; and as plays in 
 Germany begin and finish early, we were soon on 
 our way. 
 
 As we walked along by the side of the lake, or 
 whatever it was, my companion informed me that 
 the theatre in the Fatherland, as he called it, was a 
 
i8 
 
 HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD 
 
 very different thing from places of amusement in 
 New York ; that in Germany it was an educational 
 institution, etc., etc., to all of which I am afraid I 
 did not listen as attentively as I should, my mind 
 being full of the wonders I was about to behold, and 
 my eyes occupied in gazing around me. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 It was not far to the theatre, and the captain hav- 
 ing procured good seats in the balcony, I followed 
 him up the stairs as though my home was just 
 across the way, and not over the trackless waste of 
 waters, so light was my heart. 
 
 As it was not yet seven, I had an opportunity to 
 look around me before the curtain rose, and the first 
 thing that took my eye were the handsome uniforms 
 of the officers in the parquet, who, with most of the 
 other gentlemen there, stood up with their backs to 
 the stage and surveyed the house. With the aid of 
 the captain's opera glass, I presently discovered a 
 youth of about eighteen, with light hair and frank 
 blue eyes, who was standing beside a young officer 
 in blue and white. I liked this fellow's looks im- 
 mensely, and I suppose took an especial interest in 
 him, as I had not spoken to a boy since leaving New 
 York two weeks before. But at that moment the 
 overture began and everybody sat down. 
 
 The opera— for in Germany they give opera as 
 often and as cheaply as we do plays— was the 
 Queen of Sheba, and such elegant scenery and 
 magnificent costumes I know I never saw before, 
 
 19 
 
20 HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 and I am not sure that I have since. To the music 
 and singing I did not pay much attention, for as the 
 captain remnrked, I was not yet " educated up to 
 it." 
 
 Between the acts every one went out and walked 
 in a handsome hall with a Avaxed floor called the 
 foyer, and here 1 saw my friend of the light hair 
 again, at the same time observing that the soldier in 
 blue also wore boots topped with white braid, and a 
 very pretty cap, which together with his dangling 
 sword gave him quite a dashing appearance. On 
 asking the captain, I learned that he was a hussar, 
 and also that the Prussian or German army was the 
 greatest in the world, together with a great many 
 other facts concerning it which I will not set down 
 here. 
 
 The performance was over shortly before ten, and 
 an hour later I was in my bed at the hotel, dream- 
 ing of Solomon and top-boots. 
 
 The next morning, after an eight o'clock breakfast 
 of coffee and rolls, which is all a German or French- 
 man takes at that early hour, I walked out with my 
 red covered guide-book under my arm to see what 
 I could of the city till noon, when the captain was to 
 lunch at the hotel, and afterwards take me to the 
 Zoological Gardens. 
 
 Well, I did a great- deal of walking those first two 
 hours, stopped many times in the street in order to 
 
HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 21 
 
 consult my map and find out my whereabouts, and 
 as the result of all this I remember the St. Nicholas 
 Church with its extremely high steeple, a queer 
 street full of water and little boats, with no sidewalks 
 but plenty of bridges, and lastly some very pretty 
 public gardens laid out on a sort of isthmus separat- 
 ing two great lakes. 
 
 It being now nearly eleven, I thought I had better 
 take my horse-car trip, so hastening to the square 
 already mentioned, I mounted to an outside seat on 
 top of one of them, for in this respect they are built 
 like the omnibuses. After we had gone a little way 
 I laughed right out, for each time before we came to 
 a crossing the driver rang a bell to let people know 
 he was coming, as if the car were a locomotive 
 going at full speed. 
 
 "Why don't they put bells on the horses?" I 
 asked myself as the loud ding-dong, ding-dong 
 broke out again. 
 
 However, my face sobered down very suddenly 
 when the conductor came along for the fares. 
 
 ''How much?'* I asked, remembering my expe- 
 rience in German at the hotel. But in this case the 
 man went through a most comphcated series of 
 gestures, from which, and the utterly stupid expres- 
 sion his face assumed, I concluded he had not under- 
 stood me ; yet rack my brain as I would, I could not 
 think of the German phrase, while to increase my 
 
22 HARRY ASCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 confusion and bewilderment all the other passengers 
 began explaining to me in that same awful gibber- 
 ish. At length in desperation I gave the fellow a 
 mark, trusting to his honesty to return me the right 
 change. 
 
 This little ceremony over, I returned to the enjoy- 
 ment of the ride, for it was quite novel as well as 
 agreeable to sit there on top and have such a fine 
 view of every thing. As we passed a large public 
 building, I thought I recognized a familiar form 
 standing in front of it, and before we turned the cor- 
 ner I had a full view of my steamer friend, the stout 
 gentleman, turning over the leaves of his guide- 
 book in a most despairing manner. 
 
 And still the car went on and on, till I began to 
 wonder whether the track was not laid in the form 
 of a circle. However, I was determined to see the 
 end of it, and thought that every turn would prove 
 the last. We were now out of the city proper, in 
 the midst of pretty country-houses surrounded by 
 handsome gardens, and at length when it had grown 
 to be after half-past eleven, and I was wondering 
 what the captain would think at not finding me on 
 time, the car halted in what seemed to be a sort of 
 village, and then began the return trip. Just as I 
 got off at the square, at twenty minutes past twelve, 
 the rain, which had been threatening all the morning, 
 began to descend, and as I made a dash for the hotel 
 
HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 23 
 
 I inwardly resolved never again to explore a city by 
 tramway. 
 
 I found the captain waiting- for me, and was pro- 
 fuse in my apologies for being late, which he ac- 
 cepted with that great good-nature for which I so 
 highly esteemed him. 
 
 Lunch over, a cab was called, and each armed 
 with an umbrella, we started out to ** do" the 
 Zoo Gardens, which are very similar to the 
 grounds immediately around the arsenal in Central 
 Park, except that an admission fee is charged. If I 
 do not recollect all the different sorts of beasts, 
 birds, and fishes I saw there, I do remember that it 
 was a royally muddy place, and that the captain and 
 I were obliged to jump about from one dry spot to 
 another like two frogs. 
 
 " Now you must write home and tell them your 
 opinion of Deutschland," said Herr Eisnach, when 
 we were once more seated in the reading-room, and 
 thereupon he procured for me an immense sheet of 
 paper, ornamented at the top with a truthful repre- 
 sentation of the hotel, together with the neighboring 
 waters. As I glanced up at this picture, after finish- 
 ing the first page, I could not help but think that 
 were I not to be more than a hundred miles from 
 Hamburg by the 'time the letter would reach New 
 York, my mother would be dreadfully Avorried for 
 fear I should walk in my sleep and jump into the 
 
24 HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD, 
 
 canal under my window, which latter the captain 
 desired me to mark for her especial edification. 
 
 Eight o'clock that evening found us at the rail- 
 road station, where I was obliged to have my bag 
 and trunk examined by the custom-house officials. 
 This was not at all such a terrible operation as I had 
 imagined, and I paid the two cents on my three 
 lemons very cheerfully. 
 
 " Good~by, Harry," said the captain, when he 
 left me at the cars ; *' be a good boy, learn well, 
 keep a brave heart, and don't forget that you change 
 at Schnellburg and Langsamden." 
 
 I promised to remember, and was about to ask 
 him for the third or fourth time what " how much" 
 was in German, when the whistle shrieked ; he 
 wrung me heartily by the hand, and as he stepped 
 down somebody else stepped up, and the next in- 
 stant I found myself sitting opposite the young fel- 
 low I had noticed in the theatre. 
 
■■4f> ^77^<.!."4C -r— 71 
 
 .?»S4-..^o'?.;i-,\«-,.j^/; .r 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 " How queer !" I thought, and then as there was 
 nobody there to introduce us, and as, if there had 
 been, we could not in all probability have carried 
 on a very brisk conversation unless it might be by 
 signs, I turned to the window and flattened my nose 
 against the pane to look down at the Elbe rolling on 
 in the darkness under the handsome new bridge we 
 were crossing. 
 
 Perhaps, it may seem strange to my readers that I 
 took my first journey in a foreign country at night ; 
 but the fact was that that was the only time when 1 
 could make the connections, for Burgdorf was not 
 on any of the main lines, which made it rather diffi- 
 cult of access from a distance. As there were no 
 sleeping cars on the road, my father had thought it 
 best for me to travel first class, in spite of the con- 
 tinental saying which affirms that only fools and 
 Americans do so. I would thus have more room to 
 stretch myself along the seats, and might perhaps 
 avoid being shut up at midnight with a madman. 
 
 As almost every one knows, the cars in Europe 
 are like three old fashioned stage-coaches joined to- 
 gether, and are not called cars at all, but carriages. 
 
 25 
 
26 HARRY ASCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 The lig-ht was furnished by a sickly lamp let in from 
 the roof, which in my opinion gave the compartment 
 a much more dismal aspect than if there had been no 
 light whatever. 
 
 Although it was April, the night air felt decidedly 
 cool, and I lay back in my corner, bundled up in a 
 winter overcoat, trying to imagine my feet were 
 warm. Every once in a while I looked over at my 
 companion, who in a great ulster and rug occupied 
 the other end of the opposite seat. 
 
 " Pshaw !" thought I, "if this were only America 
 we'd soon be having a jolly chat together, and if it 
 wasn't for those ancients wanting to build the Tower 
 of Babel—" 
 
 " Will you please take half of my rug ? It is big 
 enough for three. 
 
 I was so surprised I started up and said right 
 out: "Hello, do you speak English? I thought 
 you were German." 
 
 " So I am," returned the " other fellow," stand- 
 ing up and spreading out his rug. " But my mother 
 was English, and we speak both at home." I felt 
 like saying " You're a trump ;" but not being sure 
 whether or not he could fully appreciate the Ameri- 
 can heartiness of the expression, I thanked him in- 
 stead for his kind offer, and went over to his side of 
 the compartment, where, having securely done our- 
 selves up in the robe, any one to look at us might 
 
HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 27 
 
 have thought we had known one another all our 
 days. 
 
 " How did you know I wasn't a German?" was 
 my first question after we had tucked ourselves in 
 all round. 
 
 " I knew you were neither German, EngUsh, nor 
 French, but an American, because you had no rug ;" 
 and then my new acquaintance proceeded to explain 
 that in Europe nobody travelled without one, as the 
 cars were not heated as they are in the United 
 States. 
 
 ''Have you ever been to America?" I asked, 
 finding this lad a queer although interesting com- 
 panion, for he had a way of saying boyish things in 
 a sort of grown-up manner that I afterwards discov- 
 ered was not uncommon in his country. 
 
 "No," he replied, ''nor never to England, al- 
 though I'm nearly eighteen. You see I've been at 
 the Commercial College in Hamburg for the last 
 three or four years, and so have not had much 
 chance to travel." 
 
 Charmed by his frankness, I at once began to tell 
 all about myself, where I was going, why I had 
 come, and how I had seen him the night before at the 
 theatre. 
 
 " Why, I live at Burgdorf, and know Professor 
 Lehren and his family quite well. I think you'll lik^ 
 it there, and Rudolph is a good fellow." 
 
2S HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 Upon this I was more pleased than ever, and 
 asked a hundred questions about the town, the 
 house, the professor, and as to who Rudolph was. 
 
 " He's the professor's son, sixteen, and speaks 
 English and French very well." 
 
 *' Whew !" I thought ; " it seems I'm to be the 
 youngest of them all. Wonder how old that Eng- 
 lish fellow Starleigh is?" and then I fell to discuss- 
 ing him with my Bargdorf friend, who likewise 
 had not seen the new student, and in surmising 
 what he would be like, tall or short, a ' ' good fel- 
 low' ' or a " regular prig," we grew better ac- 
 quainted than was possible by any other means. 
 
 " Hanover!" somebody cried, as the train came 
 to a halt, and the guard opened the door to look at 
 our tickets. I was for getting out to see what I 
 could of the city in the dark and from the station ; 
 but as my companion informed me that it was quite 
 away from the depot, I remained where I was, 
 quite content with having a boy-guide in place of a 
 printed one in red covers. 
 
 In a few minutes the train started off again, and we 
 two talked about everything in general, and our 
 native countries in particular, till we both grew 
 sleepy, and were each going off into a nice nap, when 
 the cars stopped once more, and the conductor 
 shouted, " Schnellburg !" ** Wagen wechsel,'' mur- 
 mured my neighbor, half sleep, and the words at 
 
HARRY ASCOTT ABROAD. 29 
 
 once recalled to me my studies on the steamer, for 
 they meant '' change cars." 
 
 This was not a very pleasant thing to do in the 
 small hours of the night, and to make matters worse 
 we were oblisred to wait ten or fifteen minutes on 
 the platform of a little country station before the 
 other train backed up. However, once settled in 
 our new compartment in the old position, and with 
 the agreeable thought that we should not have to 
 change again till morning, we were soon in the land 
 of nod, and I have no doubt were just about to en- 
 joy pleasant dreams, when the cars halted at a junc- 
 tion, and the door on our side was opened, letting 
 in at the same time a cold draft of air and an old 
 gentleman. 
 
 " Here's a go, ' I whispered to my companion, 
 as we were both thoroughly waked up by a gust of 
 wind, and the tripping of the newcomer over our 
 toes. 
 
 The door being shut and the engine off again, we 
 made up for his awakening us by watching the new 
 passenger's movements. He had a great number 
 of wraps, which he continually arranged and rear- 
 ranged about him, and when he thought all was 
 snugly tucked in, he would pick up the little satchel 
 by his side, and having extracted from it a small 
 flask, he would drink therefrom and then smack his 
 lips with great satisfaction. But before long his 
 
30 HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 head began to sink lower and lower towards his 
 breast, and then, when his chin was almost touching 
 his great-coat, he would suddenly seem to recollect 
 something he wanted to think about before going to 
 sleep, whereupon he Avould sit bolt upright again 
 with such a jerk that once or twice I nearly laughed 
 out, so that at last whenever I saw his head begin 
 the downward trip I was obliged to stuff my mouth 
 with my comforter. However, by and by he went 
 off to sleep in good earnest, and then such snoring ! 
 It was awful, especially since we were each trying 
 to follow our aged friend's example, which we at 
 length succeeded in doing, and were conscious of 
 nothing till " Wagen wechsel T' again rung in our 
 ears, and by the daylight which six o'clock furnished 
 we left the old gentleman alone, and once more had 
 a compartment to ourselves. 
 
 At seven we stopped half an hour for breakfast, 
 which was a pleasing contrast to our " ten-minutes- 
 for-refreshments" way of doing things at home. 
 After this meal the journey proved much pleasanter, 
 for the sun came out and warmed us both into feeling 
 an interest in the objects along the road. 
 
 *' There's the Wartburg !" suddenly exclaimed 
 my fellow-passenger, and he pointed to a high hill 
 on the left thickly covered with trees. 
 
 '' What's that?" l asked. 
 
 He said, ''Why, haven't you ever heard 
 
HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 31 
 
 Wagner's opera of " Tannhauser ?" And then I 
 really thought it was time to make known the fact 
 that in my country boys could talk all day about 
 base-ball or games of any sort ; but as for opera, why 
 that was like — like — well, they didn't know any 
 thing at all about it, I ended up, becoming rather 
 confused in my efforts to think of something with 
 which to compare the classical luxury. When I had 
 finished, my new acquaintance kindly proceeded to 
 enlighten me in regard to the works of ** the great 
 masters ;" but I did not kindle with sympathetic 
 enthusiasm as he talked, and was very glad when 
 the train whizzed by a parade ground where some 
 troops were exercising. 
 
 " Look quick !" I exclaimed, myself hanging half 
 out of window, in order to behold as long as possible 
 the glittering of the helmets in the sunshine. '* I 
 wonder what sort of a celebration's going on here?" 
 
 " Oh, it's no celebration at all. That great long 
 building is the barracks, and the soldiers are only 
 going through their daily drill. 
 
 I then recollected what the captain had told me 
 about the immense standing army the country sup- 
 ported, and this brought to my mind the handsome 
 blue uniforms I had noticed in the theatre. 
 
 " You know a great many officers, don't you ?" I 
 ventured to ask. 
 
 " Quite a number," was the reply. " My brother 
 
32 HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 is a hussar, and in a year or so, I too must be a sol- 
 dier ; for in Germany, as in France, every male, un- 
 less he is ill or deformed,. must serve, as it is called, 
 for at least two years." 
 
 This Mras by far the most startling piece of infor- 
 mation I had yet learned, and I discussed the sub- 
 ject with great animation till my thoughts were 
 turned into a new channel by discovering that it 
 was almost time we were due at Burgdorf. 
 
 "Is this it?" I inquired with some trepidation, 
 as the train rounded a curve, and the whistle blew 
 for a dismal collection of stone houses, high red 
 roofs, pig-pens, and women hoeing in the fieMs. 
 
 " Heaven forbid !" was the response, which I 
 afterwards learned was the literal translation of a 
 much-used German phrase. I drew a long breath 
 of relief, and waited five minutes before stretching 
 out my neck again. 
 
 " There's the fortress !" cried my companion the 
 next moment. 
 
 "Where, where?" I exclaimed, bobbing in and 
 out, and thereby nearly losing my cap. 
 
 "There, on that hill;" w^hereupon I looked and 
 saw, off in the distance, standing proudly on its lofty 
 elevation, what appeared to be a real, old European 
 castle, with its towers and turrets, for all the world 
 like those I had read about in fairy tales. 
 
 "And is that .Burgdorf?" I asked, pointing to 
 
HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD, 33 
 
 quite a respectable assemblage of the inevitable red 
 roofs, three or four church steeples, with a soldiers' 
 barracks on the outskirts, the whole lying in a very 
 pretty valley through which wound a small stream 
 and the railway, 
 
 " Yes, here we are," and with my heart thump- 
 ing violently under my coats, I got down my bag and 
 helped my friend pack up his rug, all the while try- 
 ing to look on both sides at once. As the train 
 slowed up at the platform of the large stone station, 
 my companion, who with his hand on the door-latch 
 had suddenly become as eager as myself, shouted in 
 my ear : " There they are !" and then sprang out to 
 jump into a carriage that was waiting, and drive off. 
 
 I was so astounded at this sudden desertion, that I 
 had almost forgotten to get out myself, when a 
 young fellow of middUng height, with light blue 
 eyes, and an expression of perfect good-nature on his 
 otherwise rather plain face, came up to the car- win- 
 dow, and with an accent so thoroughly EngHsh that 
 there was no mistaking it, asked : " I say, aren't you 
 the new chap coming to Professor Lehren's ?" 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 I WAS SO glad to hear my own language spoken by 
 one to whom it was natural, that I bounded out of 
 the car in an instant, with a most emphatic : * ' Yes, 
 I am!" 
 
 Starleigh — for it was he — insisted upon taking my 
 bag, and then presented me in due form to the Flerr 
 Professor, a tall, bearded man, with glasses, who 
 seemed afraid to say much in English lest he should 
 make a mistake. 
 
 "Where's the number for your trunk, Ascott ?" 
 broke in Starleigh, and as I handed the young Eng- 
 lishman the slip of paper which there answers for a 
 check, I saw at once that ours was to be a very 
 pleasant friendship. 
 
 The express business having been arranged, and 
 my trunk mounted on a small cart drawn by a street 
 porter, we started to walk to the house. When the 
 professor, after three or four false starts, had suc- 
 ceeded in inquiring after the health of my family, 
 and with a half sigh of relief relapsed into silence, 
 Starleigh, who had taken me by the arm in the most 
 friendly manner, began to ply me With all sorts of 
 questions, such as whether I was homesick or had 
 
 34 
 
HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 35 
 
 been sea-sick, how much German I knew, and what 
 I thought of the country. 
 
 It was not far to the Lehren mansion, and the 
 large, queer-shaped house was soon pointed out to 
 me. It was on the corner, and the streets running by 
 it were almost narrow enough to be called alleys in 
 America ; as to what the materials were out of 
 which it was constructed I was never quite certain, 
 and when we entered the long, stone passage-way 
 on the ground floor, my heart sank within me. 
 
 "Into what sort of a place am I going?" I 
 thought. 
 
 We went up two pair of uncarpeted stairs, and 
 then turning in at another door, I found myself in 
 what was neither a room nor a hall, being a part of 
 the house seemingly intended as a sort of considering- 
 spot, where one might have plenty of space to decide 
 which of the numerous doors and passages he would 
 enter. But we were not given an opportunity of 
 reflecting, for it was here that a short, cheerful- 
 looking lady met us, who shook me warmly by the 
 hand, and whose kindly smile fully expressed all that 
 her tongue was not able to tell me, for Frau Lehren 
 could not speak a word of English. And now I was 
 formally turned over to the care of Starleigh, who 
 confided to me on the way to our rooms that he'd 
 been dreadfully lonesome, and was mighty glad I'd 
 come. He led me through a narrow hallway look- 
 
36 HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 ing out upon a little court in the centre of the build- 
 ing, and opening a door near the end of it, said : 
 " Here's your drawing room, and through there's 
 mine ;" the '* through there," referring to a smaller 
 apartment, uncarpeted, and containing a bed, wash 
 stand, and chair multiplied by two. 
 
 " That's where we sleep," exclaimed my guide. 
 
 I stood still for a moment in my " drawing 
 room" in a sort of horror, looking from the painted 
 floor, with its strips of rag-carpet like islands scat- 
 tered here and there, to the baby-house stove in the 
 corner that was doing its best to give forth a little 
 heat, then at the bare table, bureau, and the three 
 wooden chairs, and lastly out of the window upon the 
 narrow street, minus sidewalk, below. 
 
 " How different from — " I began to soliloquize, 
 when Starleigh's cheery voice called me to come 
 and see his room, where he had gone to poke up 
 the fire. 
 
 The apartment corresponded exactly with mine 
 in its primary elements, and yet how different it ap- 
 peared ! On the table was a bright red cloth, cov- 
 ered with books and writing materials, the walls 
 were adorned with pictures cut out of old news- 
 papers, and depicting all sorts of scenes from the 
 Bridge of Sighs to an organ grinder's monkey, 
 while here and there were displayed some amateur 
 attempts at painting. 
 
HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 37 
 
 ** We'll soon furnish you up/' said this most 
 cheerful of mortals, and then he told me how his 
 room had been as bare as mine at first, and how he 
 had made it what it was out of mere scraps from his 
 trunk. 
 
 **. Dinner will be ready soon," he concluded, " and 
 afterwards we'll go out and I'll show you the sights 
 of Burgdorf." 
 
 So I took heart again and began unpacking. Lit- 
 tle did I imagine then how attached I was to be- 
 come to the old house and to that barren little room ! 
 
 While I was brushing my hair the bell rang, and 
 in a few minutes I was ushered into the eating- 
 room, as it is called in German. 
 
 The floor was painted brown, as they were all 
 through the building, and at one end was a piano, 
 at which was seated when we entered a lad with a 
 bright face and curly hair. Starleigh introduced 
 him as Rudolph, and then we all sat down to table, 
 which I must say was a most bountiful one, afford- 
 ing not the slightest hint of sauerkraut. 
 
 My introduction to Rudolph brought to mind my 
 unknown friend of the railroad journey, whom I 
 had completely forgotten in the excitement attend- 
 ing my arrival. Upon my description of him, the 
 son of the house informed me in his pretty good 
 English that my chance acquaintance was none 
 other than the young Von Rothstall, whose brother 
 
38 HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 was a baron, and who in consequence considered 
 himself as much superior to the other youths of the 
 town. 
 
 *' But he said you were a good fellow !" replied I 
 innocently. 
 
 "Did he?" returned the other; and ceased at 
 once his attacks on the young Von's haughtiness. 
 
 I will not deny that I felt rather pleased to think 
 that I had been on such intimate terms with a bar- 
 on's brother, and in my next letter home wrote 
 about him in grand style, although I was careful not 
 to mention the abrupt manner in which our acquaint- 
 ance had terminated. 
 
 " Now for seeing the sights !" exclaimed Star- 
 leigh, when, dinner over, the professor and his wife 
 retired to nap till coffee at two, as is the custom of 
 the country. ** Will you come, Rudolph ?" 
 
 The latter declined in German^ and as we went 
 down-stairs Starleigh explained to me that he, Ru- 
 dolph, was in the highest class at the Gymnasium — a 
 school were one is prepared for the universities — 
 and consequently was obliged to do a deal of study- 
 ing. 
 
 ** There goes one of the students now," he 
 added, as we reached the street ; and I saw a fellow 
 with a most ridiculously small green cap atop of his 
 head. 
 
 " The boys in the other school wear black caps 
 
HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD, Z^ 
 
 with silver braid," explained my new guide-book 
 boy. ** But here, we are in the market-place." 
 
 This was a large square, with all sorts of old fash- 
 ioned buildings facing on it. 
 
 **Just wait till Saturday," said Starleigh ; **the 
 big market is held here then, and such a sight as it 
 is ! Old Fraiis with great baskets of butter strapped 
 to their backs, crockery of all shapes, sorts, and 
 sizes spread out in the street, and oh, such an odor 
 of frying sausages ! But now let's take a look at 
 the Court Garden ;" and then we went through 
 some more narrow streets, with still narrower side- 
 walks, and oftener no sidewalks at all. After turning 
 two or three corners we came out upon a handsome 
 square, from whence I obtained a glimpse of the old 
 fortress. 
 
 ** Can't we go up to it?" I asked, all impatience 
 to behold the moat, cross the drawbridge, and climb 
 upon one of the turrets. 
 
 ** Yes, but not now, for we must go back to coffee 
 pretty soon. See, there's the palace, and opposite is 
 the Court Theatre ; and, yes, how jolly, here comes 
 the Duke himself, driving with the Duchess !" 
 
 And sure enough at this moment a carriage is- 
 sued from the portal of the castle and came towards 
 us. 
 
 " Now you must make your best bow ; but be 
 sure and take a good look at him, for he's nearly re- 
 
40 HARRY ASCOTT ABROAD^ 
 
 lated to the British throne, ' ' directed Starleigh, and 
 as the carriage rolled by within a few feet of us we 
 both doffed our caps with our politest air. 
 
 To my great astonishment and delight his High- 
 ness gravely returned the salute, while the Duchess 
 slightly inclined her head. I was quite awe struck 
 for a minute or two, not from any thing about the 
 turn-out itself, or in the appearance of the occupants, 
 but simply because I had seen and had had a bow 
 from nobility. 
 
 We returned to the professor's by way of the 
 principal street, which was every bit as queer-look- 
 ing and old fashioned as any of the others, only with 
 more stores on it, or "shops," as Starleigh called 
 them. We had by this time grown quite confiden- 
 tial, and were already making plans for the jolly 
 times we'd have going around together when I had 
 learned somewhat of the language. 
 
 " Is it very hard ?" I asked in some anxiety. 
 
 ** It's more mixed up with cases and genders and 
 such things than French is. You know French, 
 don't you ?" 
 
 I was obhged to confess my ignorance of the 
 tongue, at the same time regarding Starleigh with 
 more respect, as I added : *' Where did you learn it ?" 
 
 *' Oh, we all study it in England ; but I see now 
 you Americans, being off there by yourselves, don't 
 need it as much as we do, with only the Channel be- 
 
HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 41 
 
 tween us. But you'll soon learn German, although 
 at first it seems rather slow work, for the professor 
 makes you write the letters over and over again be- 
 fore he teaches you another thing. By the by, 
 there's to be a concert to-morrow night at Frieden's 
 Garden ; we'll go, and I'll show you some of the 
 natives at their best." 
 
 After coffee Starleigh and I accompanied Herr 
 and Frau Lehren to the fortress. The way lay 
 through the beautiful Court Garden, which was open 
 to every one, and on reaching our destination my 
 anticipations were fulfilled in every particular. 
 There was the moat, now laid out as a promenade, 
 and crossing it was the bridge, which, however, was 
 a stone one, and at the top of the gateway that 
 gave entrance to the interior was a most interesting 
 row of long iron spikes, ready to pounce down upon 
 the first enemy that came along. However, notwith- 
 standing their interesting nature, I was glad when I 
 had passed them. Here, after having had a most 
 glorious view of all the surrounding country — ob- 
 tained from a little platform extending out from the 
 lofty walls — we had coffee again, partaking of it, in 
 company with some others at little tables set out 
 under the trees within the inclosure. 
 
 This struck me as a most delightful way of spend- 
 ing the afternoon, and I asked Starleigh if the family 
 often came up there for coffee and cake. 
 
42 HARRY ASCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 ** About once a week," he replied; "and there 
 are plenty of other nice places to go to besides." 
 
 My lessons were to begin the following morning, 
 and at the supper table I learned the German for 
 knife, spoon, fork, etc., after which Rudolph played 
 on the piano and Frau Lehren sang. Altogether 
 the evening passed away in quite a home-like fash- 
 ion, and when we had gone to bed, Starleigh and I 
 lay awake and talked for some time about young 
 Von Rothstall, who I afhrmed was a very jolly fel- 
 low in spite of his title. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 I WILL not stop to describe my first steps in the 
 new language, the pains the good professor took 
 with me, nor our long walks in the fields and woods 
 together, during which he taught in the pleasantest 
 manner the names of trees, streams, and flowers. I 
 will only say, that living in a constant atmosphere of 
 German as I did, and with the desire to know as 
 much as Starleigh — who had had three months the 
 start of me — to spur me on, it did not require as 
 much time as T had anticipated till 1 could talk a lit- 
 tle and understand a great deal. Even those first 
 weeks of hard study were very pleasant ones, what 
 with the lovely spring weather, the merry pic-nics, 
 the garden concerts, and now and then a visit to the 
 theatre. But I must pass over this period and 
 bring my story up to the middle of July, when Star- 
 leigh and I began our famous tour. 
 
 Our friendship had grown firmer with every 
 month, and as Rudolph was busy with his studies, 
 and my friend the baron's brother had left town 
 again shortly after my arrival, we were always to- 
 gether. Indeed, if it had not been that we could 
 
 43 
 
44 HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD, 
 
 talk to one another, I believe we would have almost 
 forgotten our own language. 
 
 One evening in the latter part of May, as we were 
 enjoying the music of the military band in one of 
 the gardens, Starleigh suddenly burst out with : 
 '* I say, Ascott" (it is a peculiarity of English fel- 
 lows, no matter what chums they may be, to always 
 call one another by their last names), " what shall we 
 do during vacation ? You know it lasts a month, 
 from the middle of July, and oh my ! wouldn't it be 
 jolly for you and I to go off on a trip somewhere ?'* 
 
 " Jolly !" I replied. " I should say it would. But 
 where could we go, and," in a very doubtful tone, 
 *'how?" 
 
 " Write home for leave and money. It would be 
 a capital thing for us, exercise our German, give us 
 experience, and really make men of us,'* he con- 
 cluded laughingly. 
 
 Thus the project was set oh foot, two pleading 
 letters were forthwith dispatched to four indulgent 
 parents, and by return of post came the desired per- 
 mission, coupled with maternal warnings to be care- 
 ful, and not to forget our light overcoats. As Star- 
 leigh naturally heard from home before it was possi- 
 ble that I could, I passed three weeks in terrible sus- 
 pense, during which my friend tried his best to keep 
 up my spirits by vowing he would not go a mile 
 without me. 
 
HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 45 
 
 This devotion touched me deeply, and in return for 
 it I inwardly determined not to say a word about 
 celebrating the Fourth of July, for fear of offending 
 his loyal British feelings. When my reply arrived, 
 and we had added up our funds, the important ques- 
 tion again arose as to where we should go. 
 
 " Down the Rhine," I suggested, as one hot 
 afternoon we sat in my ** drawing room," with our 
 letters of credit, maps, and guide-books spread out 
 on the table before us. 
 
 " But we want to go out of Germany, to see some- 
 thing new," returned Starleigh, whose notions were 
 on a much larger scale than mine. " We're in Ger- 
 many now, don't you see, and it would be much 
 jollier to start off on a regular rambling tour of the 
 Continent, But now for the map in detail : Spain 
 is too far, and besides we can't speak Spanish ; same 
 fault to find with Italy. But how I would like to see 
 just one bull-light in Madrid ! However, here's 
 France — " 
 
 "That's it!" I exclaimed, jumping up. "Let's 
 go to Paris. You can do the talking part, and there's 
 more to see there than anywhere else in the world." 
 
 '* I'm a little out of practice with my French," 
 replied Starleigh, growing red ; " besides, you 
 know we wrote home that our trip would afford us 
 splendid drill in German. But stop ! What a bril- 
 liant pair we are ! Here's just the place for us ; but 
 
46 HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 SO small that we couldn't see it," and he put his 
 finger over Switzerland. " There they speak both 
 French and German, there the glorious Tell was 
 born, and thither we'll betake ourselves and plant 
 the British flag atop of Mont Blanc !" 
 
 " The very thing," I replied, not referring to the 
 flag in question, nor even to the mountain (for I hap- 
 pened to know that the latter was not on Swiss soil) ; 
 but to the decision, which we finally ratified amid 
 much enthusiasm and comparing of charges. 
 
 A few days previous, Frau Lehren had invited us 
 to accompany herself and Rudolph to their Bad 
 (the German for watering-place) ; but we had grate- 
 fully declined, Starleigh adding that we were bad 
 enough already, which ingenuous pun was of 
 course wholly lost upon the good lady. However, 
 in making out the route which we had chosen, Ru- 
 dolph rendered us not a little assistance, so arrang- 
 ing it that we could make a complete circle, return- 
 ing to Burgdorf without going over the same road 
 twice, and yet including all the most interesting 
 places. 
 
 We calculated that the tour would require about 
 two weeks, and thus we could be back in time for 
 the annual Schuetzenfest, held the first days of Au- 
 gust. So every thing was arranged, and we were to 
 start the first Wednesday in vacation. 
 
 What a state of excitement we were in, to be 
 
HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD, 47 
 
 sure, and what a never-to-be-forgotten moment it 
 was when we were actually off, like two young 
 knights of the olden time going to seek their for- 
 tunes, only we were to spend money instead of mak- 
 ing it, and were forced to put up with a snorting lo- 
 comotive in place of prancing steeds. We travelled 
 second class, were determined to talk nothing but 
 German with railway officials and hotel clerks, and, 
 in short, resolved to be as independent as possible. 
 
 The first place on our programme was Frankfort- 
 on-the-Maine, and having left Burgdorf at nooQ we 
 were not due there till evening. We changed cars 
 twice, at the second junction taking our two o'clock 
 coffee in true German style. During this journey I 
 noticed the great precautions everywhere apparent 
 to guard against accidents. By the side of the track 
 ran a wire that telegraphed ahead the approach of 
 trains, every cross road was supplied with bars or 
 gates, flagmen there were in plenty, and at each sta- 
 tion a sort of bell arrangement, which the cars set 
 ringing as they arrived. 
 
 We were rather tired on reaching Frankfort, for 
 the ride had been a long one, with not even a disa- 
 greeable fellow-passenger to break the monotony of 
 it, and as we got into a bright yellow cab with a 
 huge number painted on behind, we agreed that it 
 would be wiser to divide the distances more equally, 
 and determined to stop at Heidelberg the following 
 
48 HARRY ASCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 day, instead of going straight through to Baden- 
 Baden, as we had originally intended. We had se- 
 lected most of our hotels before starting, either from 
 the guide-book, or on the recommendation of Pro- 
 fessor Lehren, who had himself been over the 
 greater part of our proposed route. As we drove 
 along, I noticed how clean and neat every thing 
 looked, and what a number of large, open squares 
 there were. 
 
 ** Here we are !" exclaimed Starleigh, as the cab 
 stopped before a building handsome as to exterior, 
 and the interior of which I shall always remember as 
 the most elegant of any that I saw on the Continent. 
 
 " Do be careful, Starleigh," I entreated when we 
 had been shown to a room with lofty, frescoed ceil- 
 ing, heavy curtains, and red glass pitcher and wash- 
 bowl, " and don't break any thing. I wonder if our 
 money is all safe ?" 
 
 But just as we were about to count our coins and 
 make sure our letters of credit had not taken unto 
 themselves wings, a waiter came up with his little 
 slips for us to register. 
 
 " Why cannot they have a book for the purpose 
 down-stairs, as we do?" I exclaimed when he had 
 departed, drawing forth the circular letters from 
 under the pillow and taking my hat off the silver. 
 
 We had our tea in a most magnificent dining-hall, 
 and not long thereafter went to bed. 
 
HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 49 
 
 " What would the Academy boys say to see me 
 now ?" I thought, as I lay under the blue silk cover- 
 let and looked up at the gorgeous canopy overhead ; 
 and then it seemed to me that I had been away from 
 home for years, and then that the principal and 
 teachers of the school were chasing me over the 
 Continent of Europe, and so I fell asleep. 
 
 We had ourselves waked very early the next 
 morning, and as it was had just time to visit the fa- 
 mous Palm Garden — since burned down — with its 
 rocks, trees, and waterfalls all under glass, and then 
 rush off to catch the train for Heidelberg. 
 
 Both Starleigh and I became quite sentimental 
 over this beautiful place on the banks of the wind- 
 ing Neckar, with the romantic ruins of its old castle 
 on the hill above the town. 
 
 " How grand, how subKme !" spouted the young 
 Englishman, as he stood in one of the crumbhng 
 windows, and Looked out over the plain below, 
 dotted with houses, varied by fields devoted to 
 different crops and divided by the curving stream. 
 
 " Would the young gentlemen have the good- 
 ness to step down-stairs and view the great beer 
 barrel?" broke in the guide, and never again dur- 
 ing our travels did either of us venture to grow audi- 
 bly enthusiastic. 
 
 The next place on our time-table was Baden- 
 Baden, and very eagerly did both of us watch out 
 for the first glimpse of it. 
 
50 HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 " What a pity the gambhng has been abolished," 
 quoth wicked Starleigh ; '* it would be such fun to 
 hear the winning colors called out, and see them 
 rake in the money. My, how exciting it must be !" 
 and the fellow's eyes glistened so, that I really 
 thought it my duty, being his senior by three 
 weeks, to preach him a short sermon on the evils of 
 the system, and had just reached my thirdly, when 
 the train stopped at a pretty little station and we were 
 there. 
 
 The place reminded me somewhat of Long 
 Branch, the hotels being all in a line with a walk 
 and drive in front of them, but instead of facing the 
 ocean, a chain of hills just across the road faced 
 them. Indeed, the town seemed to be literally faced 
 down with hills and mountains on all sides, and when 
 the weather is very warm — which it most decidedly 
 was during our stay there — it seems as if the air 
 were completely shut out. At one point the hills in 
 front retreated a little and made room for three or 
 four quite extensive buildings, among them the 
 Spring House, where everybody goes to drink the 
 waters ; the Conversation House, a sort of public 
 club ; and a very pretty little theatre. By the way, 
 it seems to me that whether towns in Germany 
 have a church or not, it is a settled thing that they 
 must possess a theatre. 
 
 The hotel we had chosen was opposite the Spring 
 
HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 51 
 
 House, and after dinner Starleigh and I thought we 
 would go over and try the waters, but as we as- 
 cended the steps I suddenly bethought me that nei- 
 ther of us had any particular complaint of which we 
 wished to be cured, and so we merely walked 
 through the long building, and then wended our 
 way to the Conversation, as it is familiarly called. 
 And here the scene was gay enough indeed. The 
 grounds in front of the great piazza were laid out in 
 pleasant walks and tasteful flower beds ; at one side 
 was a handsome music pavilion and just below this 
 stood a long, low structure, consisting of a series of 
 shops or bazars, where the most tempting articles 
 were exposed for sale, from simple toys at a mark 
 to elegantly carved musical cottages from Switzer- 
 land at hundreds of thalers. 
 
 Starleigh and I wandered for quite a time among 
 these, selecting presents which we never bought, 
 and determining on having one thing only to allow 
 of our eye being caught by another still more attrac- 
 tive. At length I broke out with : * ' Come, Starleigh, 
 this won't do. You know very well we sha'n't buy 
 any thing in the end, so what's the good of moping 
 round the windows. 
 
 As we left this Vanity Fair and turned towards the 
 Conversation, we noticed that the piazza of the lat- 
 ter was becoming rapidly filled with people, and, as 
 soon after the band began to take possession of 
 
52 HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 the music-stand, we saw that there was to be a 
 concert. 
 
 " I don't see any gates to keep the public out. I 
 wonder if it's a free, gratis, for nothing affair ?" re- 
 marked Starleigh. 
 
 " There must be tickets to it," added I, as we fol- 
 lowed the crowd up the steps to the porch. ** See, 
 all those around us have them ;" and I began to 
 think we had better leave before we were asked to, 
 when a pleasant voice at my side said in English : 
 '* Excuse me, but if you'll come, I'll show you 
 where you can obtain cards. ' ' 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 I TURNED round, and at the first glance saw that 
 the speaker, a pleasant-looking young fellow of 
 about eighteen, was an American. With many 
 thanks, Starleigh and I accepted his services, and 
 as we bought our tickets at a small desk in the en- 
 trance-way to the grand salon, he explained that 
 each card was good for so many concerts, hence 
 our having seen such a number outside with them. 
 
 We all three took chairs together, and began to 
 talk as only strangers possessing the same language 
 can talk, when they fall in with one another in a for- 
 eign land. Before the band struck up, we had ex- 
 changed cards, and discovered that our new ac- 
 quaintance was Harvey Wintville, of New York. 
 
 " I am travelling with my father," he explained, 
 " and to tell the truth, find it rather dull, for we've 
 been here two weeks, on account of the waters, and 
 I'm growing pretty tired of the place. It's lots of 
 fun to watch the people though ; they are of all na- 
 tions, and such a mixture of manners, tongues, and 
 dress can be found, I think, nowhere but in Baden." 
 
 The scene was indeed a very lively one, for the 
 piazza was crowded with handsomely dressed ladies 
 
 53 
 
54 HARRY ASCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 and gentlemen ; while on the broad walk before it 
 hundreds of couples promenaded back and forth in 
 the gas and moonlight, and to the music of the. 
 band. So we passed the evening very pleasantly, 
 and the following day renewed our acquaintance 
 with young Wintville by taking a walk with him all 
 over the town. On the latter occasion it was ar- 
 ranged that we three should attend the grand ball 
 to be given the next evening in the magnificent salons 
 of the Conversation House. 
 
 " But we haven't any swallow-tail coats !" ob- 
 jected Starleigh, when the subject was first broached. 
 
 ** Oh, that doesn't matter," replied our friend. 
 *' I have an extra one, which I'll cheerfuU}' lend to 
 either of you who wants to dance and — " 
 
 ** Oh, no ; we would not dance for any thing !" 
 we both broke in, upon which Wintville told us 
 that he could get us in very easily in our '' Sunday 
 best," and then took us off to his hotel, where we 
 were introduced to his father. 
 
 The result of this interview was a proposition on 
 the part of the latter to have his son accompany us 
 on our trip through Switzerland. 
 
 " I should like to remain here for some time yet,'* 
 he explained ; " but I know Harvey would not ob- 
 ject to a change of scene, and I don't think he could 
 do better than join your party for a while. Now, 
 boys, what is your opinion ?" 
 
HARRY ASCOTT ABROAD. 55 
 
 It is needless to say that both Starleigh and my- 
 self were delighted at this proposal, for we had each 
 voted young Wintville a prime fellow, and had just 
 been lamenting that we would be obliged to part 
 company with him so soon, as on Monday we were 
 to leave for Bale. 
 
 The ball was a most brilliant affair, for all the 
 fashionable summer-world of Baden was present, 
 and the rooms, with their elegant conservatories 
 and bounteous supper tables, were splendid in the 
 extreme. 
 
 " I say, Ascott," whispered Starleigh, as we stood 
 in a corner — did two boys of our age ever attend a 
 grand party and 7tot stand in a corner ? — watching 
 Harvey thread the mazes of the dance with a young 
 American belle, '* that was a lucky speech of yours 
 about those tickets Thursday night. That Wint- 
 ville was awfully jolly to get us in here, and I only 
 wish I could waltz as v/ell." 
 
 The next moment Harvey came for us and carried 
 us off to present to his partner, whereupon we both 
 blushed exceedingly, and both started together to 
 remark what a very pleasant ball it was. However, 
 it did not take us long to become better acquainted, 
 and before the next quadrille began I had discov- 
 ered that Miss Angely knew Miss Branton, who in 
 turn knew my sister. 
 
 But as it is not the purpose of this narrative to 
 
56 HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 describe balls or young ladies, I must hasten on to 
 other matters, merely remarking that we spent the 
 remainder of the evening very agreeably, and on 
 Sunday attended the English Church, where Starleigh 
 had to find all the places in the prayer-book for me. 
 
 We three left by the noon train on Monday, with 
 great anticipations in regard to our Swiss tour. Al- 
 though Wintville did not know German, he spoke 
 French quite fluently, and thus we were fully 
 equipped in the language department. But whew, 
 what a warm ride it was ! The heat seemed to be 
 concentrated in the form of a hot wind, which Star- 
 leigh declared was a simoon. To make matters 
 worse, our compartment was full and the train 
 crowded, so we were forced to perspire and bear it 
 till late in the afternoon, when we reached our des- 
 tination, the border town between Germany and 
 Switzerland. 
 
 ** But the conductor shouted Basel, not Bale," ob- 
 jected Wintville, as we prepared to descend. 
 
 Starleigh explained that Basel was the German of 
 it, while I took out my hotel memorandum and de- 
 clared for the *' Three Kings." But first we had to 
 go through the formalities of the custom-house, 
 which consist in the officer's asking you if you have 
 any thing to declare, when of course you say no, 
 Avhereupon he puts a chalk mark on your baggage 
 and you walk out. 
 
HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 57 
 
 The hotel of the Three Kings — which rOyal per- 
 sonages, in gorgeous purple robes and gilded 
 crowns, were all displayed over the main entrance 
 — was delightfully situated on the very banks of the 
 Rhine, which here flows quite swiftly, and just 
 above the spot where the boat is hauled from shore 
 to shore by means of ropes. After dinner we took 
 a walk through the place, which, in the residence 
 portion, seemed almost like a city of the dead, so 
 quiet was it. Wintville, whose sentimental feelings 
 had not received the sudden shock ours had expe- 
 rienced, quite raved over the terrace behind the old 
 church. And well he might, for on looking over the 
 stone parapet one sees the Rhine rolling by a hun- 
 dred feet below, while the cathedral and the perfect 
 stillness pervading the place render the scene doubly 
 impressive, especially at the sunset hour. 
 
 We left for Berne early the following morning, 
 and passed through some of the most interesting 
 sections of the country. There were long and short 
 tunnels, sharp curves, high mountains and deep val- 
 leys, and as the train went rushing on, the scenery 
 became still grander. About noon we crossed the 
 little river Aar on a lofty bridge, and the next mo- 
 ment the cars rolled into the station at Berne. Our 
 hotel here was splendidly situated in terraced 
 grounds above the river, and next door to the capitol 
 of Switzerland. 
 
58 HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 "And nOw for the bears!" cried Starleigh the 
 minute we were through lunch, and off we started for 
 the pits, which we finally discovered after walking 
 under low, queer arcades most of the way. 
 
 " Why, they look just like other bears !" I ex- 
 claimed, a trifle disgusted, as I gazed down at the 
 great, ugly beasts shambling around on the stone 
 floor. I think I must have had an idea that the 
 Berne bears, of which I had heard so much, were 
 gifted with the power of speech or something of that 
 sort. 
 
 '* And now let's have a look at the wonderful 
 clock, ' * said Wintville ; so back we marched to gape 
 at the side of a tower, where there was quite a com- 
 plicated arrangement of clock-face and works and 
 queer little figures. 
 
 Our next move was to take us among the snow 
 mountains, and three happier lads than we were, it 
 would be difficult to imagine, as we stood on the deck 
 of the pretty little steamer that was to bear us 
 across the Lake of Thun to Interlaken, We had 
 come down by rail from Berne inside of a couple of 
 hours, and we now had a full view of several of the 
 highest peaks of the Bernese Oberland, as the chain 
 is called. There was the snowy Monch, the spot- 
 less Jungfrau, and two or three others before us, 
 while on our right and left towered barren pinna- 
 cles almost as high. The boat was crowded with 
 
HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 59 
 
 tourists, and alpenstocks, with the names of as- 
 cended mountains cut into them, were to be seen on 
 all sides. For want of time we had reluctantly given 
 up the idea of doing any climbing ourselves, al- 
 though Wintville thought of going up the Niessen — 
 the highest of the snowless peaks— on his return. 
 
 The sail over the lake was a most delightful one. 
 The boat touched at several places during the pas- 
 sage, each more prettily situated than the last, and 
 when we reached the other end, where there was a 
 cunning train of cars with seats on top waiting for 
 us, the land of Tell rose to the height in our esteem 
 that it has ever since retained. 
 
 The ride to Interlaken was much too short for us, 
 but we were consoled as we drove along in the 
 hotel omnibus by feasting our eyes upon that 
 lovely mass of snow, with its silver horn, visible in 
 the distance through an opening in the mountains, 
 said opening forming the famous valley of Lauter- 
 brunnen. All the hotels face this snowy maiden, while 
 the scenery in the rear of them is scarcely less 
 grand, for they are built along the base of a moun- 
 tain towering above them to an immense altitude. 
 
 In the evening we attended a concert at the Kur 
 Garten, an establishment kept up by the hotels, 
 which, each charge their guests ten cents a day in 
 their bills for the use of it. We sat down at one of 
 the little tables, ordered ice cream, which we had 
 
6o HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 done at every such place on our route in the most 
 extravagant fashion, and while we slowly allowed 
 the fair-to-middhng mixture to melt in our mouths, 
 watched the constant stream of people, Hstened to 
 the music, or gazed upon the moon illumined Jung- 
 frau before us. I have often thought of that night 
 since, and wished to live it over again with its— 
 but the beer barrel recurs to my mind, and I must 
 hasten on to more practical matters. 
 
 " I move we visit the Grindelwald Glacier to- 
 day," proposed Wintville at the breakfast table next 
 morning. 
 
 No sooner said than done, for in spite of the dis- 
 tance — several miles— we quickly hired a carriage, 
 and before long were driving up the Valley of Lau- 
 terbrunnen — only wells — in fine style. 
 
 After passing through most charming scenery, 
 consisting of green mountain slopes dotted with 
 pretty httle chalets, swift flowing streams dashing 
 along their rocky beds, and white or brown peaks 
 majestic in their height, the carriage left us at a 
 small hotel still some distance from the object of our 
 trip. 
 
 Here we took horses — and such animals as they 
 were !— and rode over the roughest sort of country 
 for almost an hour, when in turn we were obUged to 
 leave even the horses and proceed the remainder of 
 the way on foot. 
 
HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 6l 
 
 And now the glacier lay before us, a great dirty- 
 white mass of ice, running out of a sort of valley 
 among the mountains down into the plain below. 
 But this was not all we were to see of the thing, for 
 there was a tunnel cut into it, to which we gained 
 access by means of ice steps. As we entered the 
 cavern we were almost deafened by the roar of a 
 volume of water, which poured from some open- 
 ing near the roof and ran away into the plain be- 
 hind us. 
 
 The tunnel extended some little distance back into 
 the glacier, and at the end a sort of chamber was hol- 
 lowed out in which our faces had quite a ghastly ap- 
 pearance. This was one of the most interesting 
 places we had yet visited, and we rode our bony 
 beasts back uncomplainingly. 
 
 As we entered our room that night at the hotel, I 
 saw a paper lying on the table, and thinking it might 
 be one of the daily bills they sometimes made out, I 
 picked it up and then gave a cry of horror. It was 
 Starleigh's letter of credit ! 
 
 " What if I had remembered its whereabouts when 
 we were riding those old nags down that rock to the 
 brook ! But never mind, it sha'n't happen again," 
 said our lucky friend, as he put his precious docu- 
 ment away, and after this warning we were all par- 
 ticularly careful in regard to our moneyed interests. 
 We had changed our German coin for French at 
 
62 HARRY ASCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 Baden, and in the comprehension of the new system 
 Wintville was of great assistance to us. 
 
 Our next move was across the azure Lake Brienz 
 to the famed Giessbach Falls, where we remained 
 overnight to behold the " grand illumination," which 
 wasn't grand at all. Then we had a glorious ride 
 by stage-coach across the Briinig Pass to Alpnach, 
 where we took another steamer on another lake — 
 the one of the Four Cantons in William Tell's region 
 — and so to Lucerne. 
 
 Here we put up at an elegant hotel, promenaded 
 up and down the walk by the lake, and witnessed 
 another illumination, this time a more respectable 
 one, of Thorwaldsen's lion, carved in the side of a 
 hill. The next day was Sunday, and for Monday was 
 set down the grand feature of our trip, the ascent of 
 the Rigi. 
 

 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 To our great joy the morning of the eventful day 
 dawned bright and clear, and long before nine we 
 were on board the steamer that was to bear us over 
 the lake again to Vitznau, from which point the rail- 
 road started. A great number of persons make the 
 ascent of the mountain on foot, but as we did not 
 feel inclined to walk to a height of five thousand 
 nine hundred feet, and above all were curious about 
 the railway, we had unanimously decided in favor of 
 the latter. 
 
 There was a squeaky band of music on the boat, 
 and forgiving the squeak, we cheerfully put some 
 coppers into the hat which the first " violin" passed 
 around, so elated were we at the prospect of going 
 above the clouds. 
 
 In due time we reached the desired haven, and 
 then what a scramble there was for the cars ! These 
 are very much like the smoking-cars on our city 
 railroads, and the boiler of the locomotive is so 
 placed that it shall always be level. At last every 
 one had managed to find a seat in one of the three 
 trains, the signal was given, and the ascent began. 
 
 Perhaps for those who have visited Mount Wash- 
 
 63 
 
64 HARRY ASCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 ington, in New Hampshire, this ride would not be 
 much of a novelty ; but we had never been on a sim- 
 ilar contrivance in our lives and so were consider- 
 ably excited. 
 
 " But don't — you think — the motion is — rather 
 jerky?" asked Starleigh. "It's almost — as bad as 
 the — Channel," and indeed he did become rather 
 pale. 
 
 But we speedily forgot all other matters in the 
 excitement of going through a tunnel, in which we 
 were nearly suffocated with the smoke and steam 
 from the engine, only to emerge and cross a cobweb 
 of a bridge suspended in mid-air half way up the 
 mountain. 
 
 Now and then the route would curve, enabling us 
 to obtain most lovely glimpses of the lake below 
 glittering in the sunshine, and by and by we stopped 
 at a place where there was a station, a large hotel, 
 and an American flag flying, all of which appeared 
 as if stuck on with glue to the side of the hill. 
 
 But we had not yet attained the summit, and 
 before arriving there we passed through a cloud 
 that enveloped us like a fog for some time. How- 
 ever, when at length the end was reached, where a 
 waiter from one of the two hotels came out to ring 
 a dinner bell for ten minutes, we made a dash for the 
 highest point, and there gave vent to oh's and ah's 
 of the most intense wonderment and satisfaction. 
 
HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 65 
 
 And was it not worth while to ascend to such a 
 height, in order to be able to look down sheer four 
 thousand four hundred feet to the lakes of Zug and 
 Zurich, lying like bits of glass placed in " make be- 
 lieve" parks below us ? 
 
 ** There's Lucerne yonder," said Wintville, and 
 he handed me the glass he had brought. 
 
 '* I don't see any thing but clouds," I replied, giv- 
 ing it back. 
 
 ** Why, that's queer," he returned ; ** it's as plain 
 as day to me, and you looked in exactly the right 
 direction too." 
 
 " But don't you see, " put in Starleigh, who had 
 sharper eyes than either of us, " there are little 
 pieces of cloud sailing between us and the town 
 every minute or two." 
 
 And in truth this proved to be the tact, certain 
 points being distinctly visible at one instant and 
 completely obHteratecl the next. We partook of 
 table d'hote on the summit, and returned late in the 
 afternoon, highly enthusiastic over our trip. 
 
 Of course we found plenty of people ready to tell 
 us that we hadn't seen what was the most worth 
 seeing, namely, the sunrise from the top ; but as it 
 rained " cats and dogs" the next morning, we could 
 afford to take our departure for the Falls of the 
 Rhine with a great deal of satisfaction. Truth to 
 tell, the occasions are few and far between when 
 
66 HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 shivering tourists are able to behold the king of the 
 day burst forth in all his majesty from beneath them. 
 
 After we had ridden about an hour the rain 
 ceased, and we all became interested in gazing put 
 upon the ever changing landscape, when I was sud- 
 denly seized with a recollection that caused me to 
 start up from my seat and exclaim in despairing 
 tones : 
 
 " Oh, my journal, my journal, and my account- 
 book too ! I've left them both behind !" 
 
 This was indeed quite a serious loss, for I had 
 prided myself not a little upon my '' Diary of For- 
 eign Travel," as I had ambitiously entitled it, and 
 to think that it, together with the record of my out- 
 lay for creams, fruits, candy, etc., should be open 
 to the vulgar eyes of any chambermaid or waiter 
 Avho knew enough English to read them, was har- 
 rowing. 
 
 ** I'd make an effort to recover the books, at any 
 rate," suggested Harvey. ** Telegraph back for 
 them at Zurich, to be sent C. O. D. to Stuttgart. I 
 guess the train will stop long enough." 
 
 As it turned out we would have had time to dis- 
 patch a hundred messages, for we missed a connec- 
 tion and were forced to wait at the Zurich station an 
 hour. Here I sent back word to Lucerne for the 
 hotel people to forward my possessions after me, 
 with but little hope of ever seeing them again. 
 
HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 67 
 
 We reached Schaffhausen towards evening, but to 
 Wintville and I, who had beheld the majesty of Ni- 
 agara, the cataract of the Rhine seemed a puny one 
 indeed. 
 
 Starleigh was very properly impressed with it, 
 however, and in truth, if the falls are not high, they 
 are rather picturesque, and when one looks through 
 the stained glass windows, artfully placed near the 
 brink, the effect is quite fine, while the roar of the 
 waters makes a very respectable noise. 
 
 The next morning we had an unwelcome cere- 
 mony before us, and that was to take leave of Har- 
 vey, who was to return to his father at Baden, while 
 we continued on our way back to Burgdorf, via 
 Stuttgart and Nuremburg. We all rode together to 
 the station, where we parted with much regret, and 
 promises of frequent correspondence. 
 
 Our journey that day seemed unusually tedious 
 and wearisome. Even the chain of queer shaped 
 hills which we passed did not compensate us for the 
 heat and the crowded compartment. 
 
 " Let's change to first class !" I at length ex- 
 claimed, in sheer desperation. 
 
 So as we had not spent thus far as much as we 
 had allowed ourselves — perhaps the non-existence of 
 soda-water in Europe may account for this fact — we 
 called the guard, and having paid the difference, re- 
 ceived from him numberless little tickets, which en- 
 
68 HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD, 
 
 titled us to the grandeur and solitariness of a first 
 class coupe. 
 
 We reached Stuttgart at four, and repaired to the 
 hotel adjoining the depot, which latter, by the way, 
 is one of the handsomest on the Continent. After 
 dinner we hired a carriage — another extravagance 
 excused by the lack of the great American beverage 
 — and drove through the city, which is a very pretty 
 one indeed, many of the houses standing in the 
 midst of the most beautiful gardens. We passed the 
 evening at the park, where there was music by a 
 military band. 
 
 The next day we were shown over the palace by 
 an attendant, who rattled off his explanations at 
 such frightful speed that neither Starleigh nor I 
 could understand a single word, although we both 
 looked as wise as owls, and said '*ja" at what we 
 considered the proper intervals. In one of the 
 rooms was a large arm chair that began to play a 
 tune as soon as you sat in it, and stopped short when 
 you got up. 
 
 The following morning there was a knock at our 
 door before we were dressed, and on its being 
 opened to a crack, an important looking document 
 was handed in, which informed me that there was a 
 package for H. Ascott at the general post-ofhce. 
 
 " My journal !" shouted I ; and hurrying on my 
 clothes spent nearly an hour in endeavoring to dis- 
 
HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 69 
 
 cover exactly the correct official to whom I was to 
 apply. Finally I recovered both the books and left 
 the city with a light heart. 
 
 The next and last stopping-place on our pro- 
 gramme was Nuremberg ; but as it rained most per- 
 sistently during our half-day's stay there, we did not 
 see much of it except great, gloomy looking build- 
 ings, a tall church, and a few sheets of stagnant 
 water. 
 
 And now both Starleigh and myself were eager to 
 reach Burgdorf again, to which, in the few months 
 of our lives passed there, we had become closely at- 
 tached. 
 
 When the train arrived at noon of Saturday, and 
 we found the professor and his wife at the station to 
 welcome us, it did indeed seem like home after our 
 two weeks of wandering. 
 
 And so our tour was happily ended, and we had 
 quite a goodly sum of money left over, which we 
 determined to expend in the enjoyments of the great 
 bird-shooting festival, a description of which, to- 
 gether with sundry other matters relative to Burg- 
 dorf, will be found in the next chapter. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 " But where are the birds ?" I asked of Starleigh, 
 as we stood on the village green in the midst of a 
 confused mass ot dirty tents, frying sausages, merry- 
 go-rounds, and an awful crowd. 
 
 "I'm sure I don't know,'' he replied. ** I think 
 they must have all been shot in the early ages of 
 this stupendous celebration. It"s enough to deafen 
 men, let alone killing smaller beings outright " 
 
 Indeed the noise was almost intolerable. Above 
 ever3^thing else sounded the everlasting times of the 
 merry-go-round organs, and as there were several of 
 these in operation at the same time, such a babel of 
 discords was the result as I have never since been 
 able to forget. The shooting consisted in paying so 
 much for a trial at knocking over a row of Punch 
 and Judy figures, while the other entertainments, 
 offered to the public at reasonable sums, were com- 
 posed of a short fat woman, and a tall lean one, a 
 live walrus flopping dejectedly about in a basin of 
 water, a lively collection of educated fleas, the 
 laughter cabinet — a booth filled with looking glasses, 
 that gave one's countenance sundry varied and hide- 
 ous aspects — and a horse that had been shot in the 
 
 70 
 
HARRY ASCOTT ABROAD. 71 
 
 Franco- Prussian war, and which, according- to the 
 showman, ought to have died then ; but, wonderful 
 to relate, was living still, and could be seen for only 
 ten pfennige. All of these curiosities and monstros- 
 ities, and many more besides, did Starleigh and I be- 
 hold, and we ceased not to talk and laugh over them 
 for some time afterwards. 
 
 The remainder of vacation was spent very pleas- 
 antly in taking long walks, visiting the Duke's hunt- 
 ing grounds, or now and then hiring a carriage and 
 driving to one or another of the famous old churches 
 or convents in the vicinity. Perhaps if we had been 
 at home this sort of enjoyment would have seemed 
 dry and tame to us, but living in a foreign atmos- 
 phere as we did, the novelty of every thing charmed 
 us, and I now look back upon that summer as one of 
 the brightest in my life. 
 
 The holidays over, we resumed our studies with 
 renewed energy, and before long began to dip into 
 the beauties of German literature. But we were 
 scarcely settled down to our books again when 
 Sedan's Day, the second of September, arrived, and 
 all the Germans turned out to celebrate the victory 
 over France in 1870. 
 
 The Burgclorf green was again occupied with 
 booths and stands of all sorts, while among other 
 contests was one which consisted in two boys, with 
 their hands tied behind their backs, eating their way 
 
72 HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 through a raspberry pie to a twenty mark gold- 
 piece placed in the centre of it ; the one first reach- 
 ing the money being entitled to keep it. As the pie 
 was an immense one, the task was not by any means 
 easy, while the appearance of the boys' faces during 
 its progress gave rise to shouts of laughter on every 
 side. 
 
 Young Albert von Rothstall, my friend of the rail- 
 way journey, had gone to England shortly after his 
 return to Burgdorf ; but Starleigh and I often took 
 walks in the direction of the Rothstall mansion, a 
 large, rambling sort of building, surrounded by 
 handsomely laid-out grounds and situated at some 
 distance from the town. 
 
 And now I began to make acquaintances among 
 the German youth of the place. Indeed with one of 
 them, the son of a Burgdorf magistrate, I became 
 very intimate, and to this day have kept up a lively 
 correspondence with him. 
 
 About the first of October a dancing-school was 
 opened, and Starleigh and I remembering how en- 
 viously we had regarded Harvey Wintville's pro- 
 ficiency in the art at Baden, determined to attend. 
 So when it was announced that there was to be a 
 private class formed, to consist of eight ladies and an 
 equal number of gentlemen, we made haste to join 
 ourselves to this highly respectable company. We 
 met twice a week and never shall I forget what a 
 
HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 73 
 
 sight it was to see the boys on one side and girls on 
 the other, either all sitting primly along the walls or 
 engaged in hopping first on the right foot, then on 
 the left, in the first stages of the course. 
 
 Some of the lads were very pleasant, and with one 
 or two I formed quite a friendship. 
 
 But at first we dared not so much as speak to the 
 girls, for in Germany the rules of etiquette are so 
 very strict that Starleigh and I often wondered how 
 the young people ever got married, as they seemed 
 to our minds never to have an opportunity of pro- 
 posing. However, as it would scarcely do for us to 
 dance the waltz with one of our own sex, it was at 
 length announced, after each division had been thor- 
 oughly drilled in the steps, in the art of bowing and 
 making a courtesy, and the boys duly exercised in 
 taking off their caps, backing out of the room, and 
 such other accessories to a society education, it was 
 given out after all this preliminary training, that at 
 our next lesson we were to attempt the polka with 
 partners. 
 
 This fact caused not a little excitement among the 
 select sixteen, and many a discussion did Starleigh 
 and myself have over the problem which beauty we 
 should respectively choose. 
 
 As it turned out, we were not left any choice in 
 the matter, for by reason of our being strangers, we 
 , rather hung back when ** Take your partners !" was 
 
74 HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 called out, and the result was that we were forced 
 to content ourselves with neither the prettiest nor 
 the most agreeable of the young ladies. 
 
 But this first rush for the fairest was as nothing 
 compared to what followed upon a more intimate 
 acquaintance with the Frauleins. As soon as the 
 dance was announced, there was a general stampede 
 for the other side of the room, and it not infre- 
 quently happened that two eager youths would col- 
 lide on the passage or before the lady. 
 
 However, I will not stop to describe all these in- 
 cidents, nor how we did our best to make ourselves 
 agreeable to our partners, nor the grand ball 
 given at the close of the term. Suffice to add that 
 we both enjoyed it all hugely, and if we did learn a 
 waltz that is danced neither in America nor Eng- 
 land, we also learned how to carry on a German 
 conversation. 
 
 And so the glorious autumn days went by till the 
 winter holidays drew near. I anticipated much 
 pleasure in passing a Christmas in the Fatherland, 
 a pleasure that was only marred by the fact that my 
 friend Starleigh was to return to England with the 
 new year, his father having made arrangements to 
 place him in a business college at that time. 
 
 "But what am I to do here all alone?" I de- 
 manded again and again, adding desperately : ''I'll 
 go too, then," and perhaps 1 might have carried 
 
HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 75 
 
 this threat into execution, and made this tale a thrill- 
 ing" one by recounting" my daring escapade across 
 the English Channel, had not two letters, received 
 just before the holidays, put me in good humor 
 again. One was from my father, stating" that he had 
 important news to impart, namely, that he thought 
 it high time 1 saw some of the life in German cities, 
 and that consequently I was to spend two or three 
 months in Dresden, at a boarding house which had 
 been recommended to him by a friend just returned, 
 there to finish up my study of the language with a 
 celebrated professor whom he named. My depar- 
 ture was fixed for the week after New Year's. 
 
 The other letter was from Wintville, who wrote 
 that he and his father expected to reach Dresden 
 some time in January, to remain there till March. 
 
 This intelligence, as may be imagined, considerably 
 lessened my grief over Starleigh's departure, al- 
 though I still continued to think very mournfully of 
 the event. But the twenty-fifth of December was 
 only a week off, and the snow and the ice, so dear to 
 every boy's heart, had come. We brought forth our 
 skates from the depths of our trunks, and enjoyed 
 many a brisk race over the frozen surface of neigh- 
 boring ponds. 
 
 It is the custom of the country for each member of 
 the family, from the head down to the humblest ser- 
 vant, to give a present of some sort, and a pleasant 
 
76 HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 sight it was, when, after tea, on Christmas Eve, the 
 seldom-used parlor was thrown open, displaying to 
 view the small, but brilliantly lighted tree and little 
 tables standing round, each belonging to one person, 
 and all filled with gifts of every value, style, and 
 size. The next morning there was service in the 
 Lutheran Church at six o'clock, and as it was still 
 dark each worshipper carried a candle, which pro- 
 duced a very strange effect when they had accumu- 
 lated to the number of a hundred or so. 
 
 The day thus begun passed off merrily enough, as 
 did the following week of holiday. 
 
 These festivities over, Starleigh and I prepared to 
 leave Burgdorf and one another, and on the third of 
 January, after a lonely journey through a snow- 
 storm, I arrived bag and baggage at my new board- 
 ing house in Dresden. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 I was very much pleased with the capital of Sax- 
 ony, which reminded me a good deal of Stuttgart ; 
 in fact almost all the German cities appeared alike 
 to me. 
 
 When I had been there a week I met Wintville 
 in the street, and after that we were always to- 
 gether. With him I visited the famous picture gal- 
 lery, the celebrated manufactory of Dresden China, 
 the various museums and collections, and many in- 
 teresting points around the city. 
 
 About the middle of January we had a cold snap, 
 which Harvey and I improved to the fullest extent 
 by skating daily on the small pond in the royal Gros- 
 ser Garten, which was patronized by a much greater 
 number of Americans and English than Germans. 
 On the occasion of the opening of the handsome 
 new Court Theatre in February, we saw the King 
 and Queen of Saxony riding through the streets in 
 their carriage of state, with two footmen standing 
 behind waving flaming torches in the air. 
 
 Yet I will not linger over these Dresden days, al- 
 though they were among the pleasantest that I spent 
 in Europe ; but will hasten on to Paris and the great 
 
 77 
 
78 HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 Exposition, whither I was to go in company with 
 Harvey and Mr. Wintville, the latter of whom my 
 father knew in a business way. 
 
 This arrangement was very satisfactory to myself, 
 for otherwise I might never have seen the most 
 beautiful city in the world, as it had been at first de- 
 termined that I was to return to America m April by 
 the steamer on which I came out. According to 
 the new plan, I was to travel with the Wintvilles till 
 they landed in New York, about the first of June, 
 crossing the ocean on one of the English lines. 
 
 We left Dresden for Berlin the middle of March, 
 the latter city producing quite a favorable impression 
 on me. The main street, Unter den Linden, where 
 the Emperor was twice shot at a few months after- 
 wards, is very pretty, lined as it is with palaces and 
 leading one through handsome archways and over 
 graceful bridges. We took a drive through the 
 Thiergarten, hoping to meet Kaiser Wilhelm, but 
 only succeeded in seeing the Empress Augusta, who 
 was walking along one of the paths in the park, fol- 
 lowed at a respectful distance by two footmen. As 
 we passed her our driver took off his hat, as did 
 every one else in the vicinity. 
 
 The next day we had a long journey to Cologne, 
 which proved to be the most interesting city I had 
 visited, every thing about the place seeming so odd. 
 The streets are very crooked and narrow, while the 
 
HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 79 
 
 odor in some of them affords sufficient reason for 
 the manufacture of the scented water for which the 
 town is famed. The cathedral is grand in the ex- 
 treme, especially when one looks up at its vast di- 
 mensions by night. 
 
 In our ride through the city we crossed the Rhine 
 on the bridge of boats, and saw the house of which 
 the following legend is related : 
 
 There was once a man who declared he would not 
 beheve a certain thing till his horses walked out of 
 their stable, up-stairs to the attic, and there looked 
 out of the window, which they did, as the two heads 
 stuck out from the upper story to this day testify. 
 We refrained, however, from examining them too 
 closely. 
 
 We left for Paris at eight o'clock in the evening, 
 and arrived near noon of the following day. We 
 rode in a cab to a large hotel on one of the boule- 
 vards, where I got out in a state of the most intense 
 excitement. 
 
 What an immense, busy city it was ! We had 
 driven through street after street, all Uned with 
 stores, all crowded with pedestrians and carriages. 
 I had never believed there were so many omnibuses 
 in the world, and as for cabs, they actually seemed 
 to spring up out of the ground. And yet, notwith- 
 standing all this traffic, the streets were clean and 
 solidly paved, while the sidewalks were brgad and 
 
So HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD, 
 
 ornamented with handsome lamp-posts and queer 
 Uttle round houses, the upper part of glass covered 
 with advertisements, in which were seated old 
 women selling- newspapers. 
 
 Harvey had been in the city before, and after 
 lunch he took me out to show me the new opera 
 house, which was near by, a magnificent structure, 
 with its tall, marble columns, elegant statuary, and 
 glistening golden harp at the very top. However, 
 as I do not wish to lend to this history any thing of 
 a guide-bookish air, I shall refrain from giving a de- 
 tailed description of the gay French capital, only 
 mentioning those monuments that struck my fancy 
 the most forcibly, namely, the Arch of Triumph, at 
 the head of the Champs Elysees, and the Tomb of 
 Napoleon I. in the Invahdes. 
 
 I did not think the Bois du Bologne half so nice 
 as Central Park, and as for the stores and public 
 buildings, there are very few of them that, to my 
 mind, can surpass some of those recently erected in 
 New York. But it is the manner in which Paris is 
 laid out that gives it its chief beauty. There are 
 parks without number, and every few blocks one 
 comes upon a large square, adorned in the centre 
 with a tall, handsome column, commemorating some 
 great event in French history. 
 
 The Place de la Concorde, situated at the foot of 
 the Champs Elysees, and where formerly the guillo- 
 
HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 8i 
 
 tine performed its horrible task, is now one of the 
 most beautiful spots in the city, while almost all 
 traces of the late war have been removed, if I may 
 except the ruins of the Tuileries Palace. 
 
 The weather was mostly fine during our stay, and 
 every afternoon Harvey and I walked up and down 
 the Champs Elysees, which is the nearest approach 
 to a promenade on Fifth Avenue one can find in Eu- 
 rope. Here we either strolled along the pleasantly 
 shaded paths, paid two sous apiece for a chair that 
 we might sit down and watch the carriages, or 
 looked on at the Punch and Judy shows, which are 
 the delight of all the Parisian children, and which can 
 be witnessed almost as well outside the ropes as by 
 paying two cents to go within. 
 
 Another of our favorite amusements was roller- 
 skating at the Rink, where there was a smooth floor 
 of asphalt and a fine band of music. We also spent 
 a deal of time atop of the omnibuses, of which the 
 Paris system is well-nigh perfect, as no more than 
 a certain number of passengers are allowed to ride 
 on one vehicle, there being stations scattered all 
 through the city at which tickets, in the shape of 
 numbers, can be procured, entitling the holder to 
 enter in his turn ; but if the 'bus be filled before his 
 number is reached he must wait for the next one. 
 
 We visited the circus once or twice, where, after 
 the performance, in the course of which the riders 
 
82 HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 received many tumbles that did not seem to discon- 
 cert them in the least, the audience was permitted 
 to pass out through the stables, which were adorned 
 with mirrors and brilliantly lighted by crystal chan- 
 deliers. 
 
 The way they managed things at the theatres, 
 however, struck me as being rather old fashioned, 
 for just before the play was to begin a bell was rung 
 by somebody on the stage (which bell, by the way, 
 sounded exactly as those do that are rung for supper 
 in a country boarding house), and then somebody 
 else pounded three times with a heavy mallet, which 
 was the signal for the curtain to rise, this latter 
 operation being repeated before each act. 
 
 But I promised not to enter into details, so I will 
 end this chapter right here, and invite my readers 
 to the opening of the great Exposition. 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 The first of May had arrived, and notwithstanding- 
 that the grounds and buildings still swarmed with 
 gardeners and workmen, the Exhibition was to be 
 thrown open on this, the appointed day. 
 
 The ceremonious part of the programme was to 
 be in one sense private, as only those who had re- 
 ceived cards of invitation were to be admitted. The 
 only way to procure these precious bits of paste- 
 board was through the foreign ministers, and Har- 
 vey and I were among the unlucky majority that did 
 not obtain any, for our ambassador had been pre- 
 sented by the government with but three hundred 
 tickets to distribute through the American colony, 
 numbering in the neighborhood of a thousand. 
 
 However, as it afterward turned out, we did not 
 miss much, as the crowd was so great that nothing 
 could be either seen or heard of the proceedings, 
 during which, as it was later reported, President 
 MacMahon himself was so flurried that he com- 
 pletely upset the most important speech of the in- 
 auguration, declaring that "the opening is ex- 
 posed," instead of " the exposition is open." 
 
 Nevertheless, Harvey and I determined to parti- 
 
 83 
 
84 HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 cipate so far as we were able in the celebrations of 
 the day, and to that end took a walk down the bou- 
 levards in the forenoon in order to see the decora- 
 tions. 
 
 Nearly every house hung- out a flag, and many of 
 the buildings were adorned with those of all nations. 
 
 Rue de Lafayette presented a particularly strik- 
 ing appearance, for it is the longest straight street 
 in Paris, and looking up it, as we did from its lower 
 end behind the Opera, it seemed one mass of bunt- 
 ing of all colors. 
 
 Fired with enthusiasm by the gay scenes on the 
 avenues, Harvey and I straightway purchased 
 some French and American flags, and unfurled them 
 to the breeze from our two windows at the hotel. 
 
 *' Now we must take our stand on the Champs 
 Elysees and see the grand procession pass," said 
 my friend after lunch, and away we hurried, as the 
 opening at the Trocadero was set down for two 
 o'clock sharp. 
 
 Well, we waited and waited, while the formerly 
 bright blue sky grew blacker and blacker till, just as 
 we expected the approach of the great cavalcade, the 
 rain came down in such torrents as I never before 
 nor since saw equalled. We had umbrellas of course 
 — for who ever thinks of going out in Paris except 
 during midsummer without one — but the water 
 poured right through them, and such streams came 
 
HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 85 
 
 rushing down the sidewalks that we— with all the 
 rest of the crowd that could— were obhged to mount 
 upon the benches placed at intervals along the 
 curbstone, and there we stood, like so many 
 drowned rats, till the storm was over (it only lasted 
 about fifteen minutes). 
 
 Then the sun burst forth again in glorious bright- 
 ness, and shortly afterwards came the procession, 
 consisting of the Marshal President in a superb 
 white carriage with trimmings of crimson, and the 
 Prince of Wales in his equipage of more sombre 
 style, followed by a large troop of cavalry. 
 
 These having gone by, we returned to the hotel to 
 change our wet clothes for top-boots and old 
 coats, after which we sallied forth again, to try our 
 luck at obtaining admission to the Exposition 
 grounds. 
 
 " Wh}^, everybody's coming back, Harvey," I 
 objected, as crowds upon crowds hurried past us 
 towards the heart of the city. 
 
 " There'll be so much the more room for us 
 then," replied this undismayed youth. 
 
 We had each purchased a regular ticket that 
 morning, and on arriving at the Trocadero Palace we 
 presented these at the improvised gates, and were 
 admitted without any hindrance whatsoever. But if 
 we had encountered crowds wending their way 
 homewards, we were now met by as great ones 
 
S6 HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 bearing down upon us from every possible direc- 
 tion. 
 
 We did not stop to see the sights in the palace, for 
 the simple reason that there was nothing to be seen 
 as yet. Every thing was in an incomplete and very 
 unsatisfactory state, scaffoldings, ladders, carpen- 
 ters' benches, and chips being the most conspicuous 
 articles in the building. 
 
 But when we had passed through this scene of 
 confusion, and stood on the broad piazza that runs 
 all along the inner side of the structure, a very pic- 
 turesque sight was revealed to us. 
 
 Two long, wide flights of steps led down to what 
 was some day to be a garden, but which was now 
 a clinging, inky, mass of mud, being ploughed 
 through by thousands of men and women of all na- 
 tions. Between the steps was the artificial cascade 
 — over which was situated the stand where the Mar- 
 shal and his staff had presided at the inauguration — 
 whose waters ran (when they fell, which after the 
 opening was only on Sundays and holidays) into a 
 series of handsome stone basins, ornamented here 
 and there with appropriate groups of statuary. 
 
 Harvey and I observed all these objects, and 
 many more besides, as we plunged on through the 
 slush, consoled by the reflection that we were well 
 prepared for the latter ; while all the high officials, 
 who had preceded us by an hour or two had been 
 
HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 87 
 
 obliged to do so in their best clothes. We crossed 
 the Seine on the Jena bridge — which had been con- 
 siderably widened for its present use — and after 
 another struggle through clay and crowds, suc- 
 ceeded in gaining the main building on the Champ 
 de Mars. 
 
 Here we were properly astounded at the gor- 
 geousness of the Prince of Wales' India collection, 
 kindly loaned by him to occupy the most prominent 
 position in the Exhibition, were filled with wonder 
 at the magnitude of England's show, and finally 
 overcome by our patriotic feelings on entering the 
 American department. 
 
 But we had no time to stop, as it was now late 
 and the gates closed at six, so we hurried on through 
 Norway, Sweden, China, Japan — which two latter 
 sections, together with the English, were more nearly 
 complete at that time than any of the others — and 
 then crossed over to the French side, which was not 
 ready at all. Disgusted with the lines upon lines of 
 great cloths covering up almost every thing in the 
 department, we started to leave by one of the side 
 gates. 
 
 Here we found more mud than ever, with boards 
 laid down at inconvenient distances apart, thus con- 
 tributing an edifying spectacle in the way of feats of 
 jumping performed by lightly shod visitors. We 
 had decided to return by one of the Seine boats, and 
 
8S HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 accordingly wended our way along the river bank 
 in the midst of such slush and such a mixed, garlic- 
 reeking crowd as I hope never again to encounter. 
 Thus ended our first visit to the glorious Paris 
 World's Fair of 1878. We had been present on the 
 opening-day, we had borne away with us — on our 
 boots — some of its precious soil, and we were content. 
 
 But the celebration of the event was not yet over. 
 In the evening the whole city was to be illuminated, 
 so after dinner Harvey and I once more started out 
 to behold the crowning wonder of the occasion. 
 
 *' Suppose we ride down to the Bastille and back 
 atop of the omnibus," I suggested, and Harvey 
 agreeing, we walked up the boulevard towards the 
 Madeleine, which was the terminus of the route. 
 
 But the further we went, the denser became the 
 crowd, till finally we could do no more than submit 
 to be borne along with it at a snail's pace. The 
 street was blockaded with carriages, and everything 
 seemed to be at a deadlock. The murmur of many 
 voices sounded strangely on the night air, while the 
 glare of thousands of lights threw a deep glow over 
 the whole scene, which Avas one not soon to be for- 
 gotten. 
 
 At length we managed to reach the omnibus 
 stand, which was only a few blocks distant, but there 
 were so many people around it that at first we de- 
 spaired of ever even getting near a 'bus. However, 
 
HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 89 
 
 by degrees we squeezed through the crowd, and 
 finally succeeded, by a series of gymnastics, in at- 
 taining two seats on top. 
 
 But our troubles were not yet over, for we had not 
 gone five feet before we were blocked, in common 
 with all the other vehicles, and compelled to remain 
 in one spot for fifteen minutes at a time. At last the 
 driver w^as obliged to deviate from his prescribed 
 route and take to the side streets, thus carrying 
 rage and disappointment to our hearts, who had so 
 fondly hoped to have beheld all the flashing glories 
 of the grand boulevards. 
 
 But there w^as still enough to fully occupy our at- 
 tention, and in crossing the new Avenue de 1' Opera 
 we obtained a fine view of that building, standing 
 out against the sky, one mass of gaslight. 
 
 Every thing was illuminated, from the churches 
 with the pipes laid along their eaves down to the 
 most insignificant little shop with its tiny Chinese 
 lantern swinging over the door. 
 
 But the most interesting thing of all Avas the 
 crowd, all the streets seeming alike choked with 
 men, women, and children, for having lighted up his 
 own windows each went out to behold his neighbors'. 
 
 ** I wonder if their revolutions were anything like 
 this?" whispered Harvey, as the hoarse murmur of 
 the many voices rose up all around us, the dense 
 mass surged to and fro with excitement, while 
 
9° • HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 the heavens reflected back the glow of the great 
 city. 
 
 1 shuddered a moment as I thought of the guillo- 
 tine, and then we both forgot the subject in watching 
 the Roman candles and sky-rockets that were con- 
 stantly shooting up from all sides. 
 
 After many delays we reached the Place de la 
 Bastille, and there taking another omnibus, we rode 
 along the famous Rue de Rivoli, up through the 
 Faubourg St. Honore, and by the Elysee Palace, 
 the Marshal's residence. We did not get back to the 
 hotel till long after midnight, and next morning were 
 very much surprised to learn that there had not 
 been an accident of any kind nor scarcely a disturb- 
 ance. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Harvey and I paid half a dozen more visits to the 
 Exposition, and although the garden on the Champ 
 de Mars, with its pretty little lake, cunning bridge, 
 artificial rocks, and graceful fountains came to be 
 very attractive in appearance, notwithstanding the 
 Avenue of Nations, where one could take in the 
 peculiarities of each at a glance, and finally in spite 
 of the Prince's Indian loan, Wintville and I were 
 patriotic enough to think that our Centennial was 
 the best of all. 
 
 On our last visit — for we were to depart for Eng- 
 land the middle of the month — I thought I would 
 note down a few of the most important exhibits, 
 and had just reached the second article when a hand 
 was laid on my shoulder, and a gendarme gav^e me 
 to understand that such things were not allowed. 
 
 I now began to look eagerly forward to my return 
 to America after such a long absence, and also antici- 
 pated with much pleasure meeting Starleigh in Lon- 
 don, where we were to stop for a few days. So in 
 due course our stay in Paris came to an end, and 
 with it my life on the Continent. 
 
 We crossed the English Channel at Calais and 
 
 91 
 
92 HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 Dover, the shortest and roughest passage, and al- 
 though I was not sick I felt heartily glad when we 
 reached the other side, for the boats are small, with 
 but poor accommodations, and as everybody is gen- 
 erally ill, the scenes on board are not of the most 
 agreeable character. 
 
 And now for the first time I set foot on the soil of 
 Great Britain. How queer it sounded to hear the 
 boys talking English, as they fished from the pier at 
 Dover, and how lovely the broad fields, the winding 
 roads, and the green hedges looked, as we sped on 
 to London, the metropolis of the world ! 
 
 What a great, noisy, smoky city it was, and how 
 funny the 'bus drivers appeared, each wearing a 
 high, beaver hat, and all having the same round, red 
 face ! The conductors of the same vehicles stood 
 behind on a bit of a board, holding on by means of 
 a strap which allowed their bodies to swing from 
 side to side in a seemingly most perilous fashion. 
 
 Then again I observed, as we rode along in the 
 cab, numbers of smart looking soldiers walking 
 about very proudly in their red coats, and each 
 carrying a small wooden cane, or ' * stick, ' ' as they 
 would call it. 
 
 '* There's Buckingham Palace !" suddenly ex- 
 claimed Harvey, who had been in London before. 
 
 I looked in the direction indicated, expecting to 
 behold a magnificent marble mansion, but saw only 
 
HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 93 
 
 a great, sombre-colored building standing in a 
 park. 
 
 Our hotel, on the other hand, proved to be a 
 very handsome structure, having somewhat the ap- 
 pearance of a church. Here Starleigh, whom I had 
 notified of our arrival, came to see us, and we three 
 passed the time far into the night in talking over 
 our travels and continental life. 
 
 The next day we rode on the omnibuses and the 
 penny boats on the Thames, which latter modes of 
 conveyance have no bells, the captain instead calling 
 out, " Start her !" or " Stop her !" to a boy, who in 
 turn screams down the command to the engineer. 
 
 We visited Westminster Abbey with its Poets* 
 Corner and tombs of the old kings ; climbed to the 
 top of St. Paul's, and talked to one another in its fa- 
 mous Whispering Gallery ; paid a call on Madame 
 Tussaud, where we several times mistook the wax 
 figures for other visitors, and were hurried through 
 the Tower by one of the officials, who talked so fast 
 that I had as much difficulty in understanding him 
 as the German in Stuttgart. In the latter place the 
 most interesting things, to my mind, were the thumb- 
 screws, and the spot stained w4th the blood of sov- 
 ereigns. 
 
 The following day Harvey and I rode out in the 
 direction of Greenwich, and saAV the naval training- 
 school, with the full-rigged ship standing on the lawn 
 
94 HARRY A SCOTT ABROAD. 
 
 before it. Forty-eight hours afterwards a small 
 steamboat took us and a host of other passengers 
 from the Princess Dock, Liverpool, out to the great 
 black steamer that lay waiting for us in the middle 
 of the Mersey. 
 
 As may be imagined, I was in a great state of ex- 
 citement when the anchor was weighed and the 
 ship started on her voyage to America, Then, as I 
 looked back on the countries I had lived in, and the 
 foreign manners I had observed during the past year, 
 I felt proud of the fact that I had been born across 
 the waters, in the " land of the free and home of the 
 brave." 
 
 We reached Queenstown the afternoon of the fol- 
 lowing day, and spent quite an entertaining half 
 hour in watching the steerage passengers, with their 
 Irish luggage, come on board. 
 
 But the next morning, whew, what a storm we 
 met ! I thought when I first woke that it would be 
 impossible for me to lift my head from the pillow ; 
 but t managed to " weather it," as the sailors say, 
 and enjoyed the remainder of the voyage hugely. 
 
 And so my Diary of Foreign Travel ends (it is the 
 very same I came so near losing at Lucerne), and 
 I am no longer Harry Ascott Abroad. 
 
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