on the arrival of the excursion party at heidelberg, they were conducted, by mr. arbuckle's avant-courrier, to the hôtel prinz karl, in the marketplace, and near the castle, which is the principal object of interest in the town. one of the first persons that shuffles saw, as he walked up to the hotel, was lady feodora, promenading the veranda with sir william. she looked a shade paler than when the captain had met her last; but her color deepened when she discovered her gallant friend.
"i am delighted to see you, captain shuffles!" exclaimed she, deserting her titled companion, and rushing towards him, her cheeks suffused with blushes.
"this is a very unexpected pleasure," replied the commander, his brown face flushing, "but none the less welcome because unexpected."
"how glad i am to see you again!" said she, taking his offered hand, as they met.
"thank you; but not so glad as i am," added he, in a lower tone.
"i hope you are very well, captain shuffles," interposed sir william, stiffly.
"quite well, i thank you."
"lady feodora has been quite ill," added the baronet, "or we should have been in brussels by this time."
"i have not been very ill; but father thought we had better remain here a few days. now i am almost glad i was ill, since it gives me the pleasure of seeing you again," continued the young lady, with a childish candor which brought a frown to the brow of the little baronet.
"you are very kind, lady feodora."
sir william thought so too.
"we have been all over the castle, captain shuffles; and i am going to be your guide," continued she, playfully.
"i am afraid your health will not permit you to do so much," suggested sir william.
"o, i feel quite strong now."
the conversation was interrupted by the appearance of feodora's father and mother, who extended to shuffles a cordial and hearty greeting. mr. lowington and the party were warmly welcomed by the earl's family. the business of sight-seeing required immediate attention, and shuffles was taken into a carriage with his english friends; for the daughter insisted upon redeeming her promise. sir william evidently did not enjoy the excursion; but he was apparently unwilling to be left at the hotel.
heidelberg is beautifully located on a narrow strip of land between the river neckar and the vast, high rock on which the castle stands. it has one principal street, nearly three miles long, and contains a population of about seventeen thousand. it is situated in the midst of some of the finest scenery in germany; and all tourists agree in calling it one of the most delightful residences in europe. the students walked through the principal street and along the banks of the neckar until dinner time, when professor mapps found an opportunity to say something about the place.
"heidelberg was once the capital of the palatinate established here by the emperor otto of germany in the tenth century. the palatines were sub-rulers, whose duty it was to look after the interests of the emperor. this palatinate, including the northern portion of baden and a part of bavaria, became the most powerful in the empire, and was divided into the upper and lower palatinates."
"what does palatinate mean, sir?" asked a student.
"it means merely the territory of a sub-ruler, who was called a palatine, from the latin word palatium, a palace. when the throne of germany became elective, these palatines chose the emperor, and for this reason were called electors-palatine, or simply electors. the castle here was the residence of the elector of this division. the town has suffered more from the ravages of war than almost any other in europe. it has been bombarded five times, burned twice, and captured and pillaged three times.
"the university is one of the most noted in the world, as well as one of the oldest in germany, having been founded in 1386. it has had at one time nearly nine hundred students, and generally has seven or eight hundred. it employs the most celebrated professors in europe, especially in the departments of law and medicine. its library contains some very rare and valuable works, printed and in manuscript."
"what about the duels, sir?" inquired haven.
"the students here are noted for the duels which take place among them. four or five have occurred in a single day, and perhaps they average a dozen a week. but i wish to say, in the beginning, that duelling and other vicious practices charged upon the university of heidelberg are confined to about one fifth of the whole number of students. they are not all duellists, nor all inordinate beer-drinkers. probably they are no worse than the residents at other universities, though the duels are certainly exceptional. four fifths of the students here are devoted to their studies, improve their time to the utmost, and never engage in, or even see, a duel.
"these combats—which they are, rather than duels—take place at the hirschgasse, a lonely hotel on the other side of the neckar. the fighting and dissipated students form themselves into clubs, called 'chores,' among which a great deal of jealousy and ill feeling prevails. the fights are to avenge insults, to 'see who is the best fellow,' or between representatives of different chores, who battle for the honor of their clubs. the champions fight with blunt swords ground sharp on the two edges. they slash each other, but do not thrust, so that the combats seldom result in mortal wounds.
"in a fight for the honor of the clubs, the parties tie up their necks and right arms in bandages and cushions. when they fight for the satisfaction of an injury or insult, they have no protection. the combat, in all cases, is decided in fifteen minutes; and at the end of this time, the one who has the fewest cuts is declared to be the best fellow. if one of the champions is severely injured in less than fifteen minutes, so that he cannot continue the fight, it is finished up on another occasion. a surgeon is always in attendance to decide whether a wounded contestant is able to go on. the police are on the watch for these fights; but the students station sentinels for some distance from the arena of contest, and the approach of an officer is communicated to them in season to enable the combatants to escape. i need not add, that these duels are brutal and disgraceful. it looks as though the police winked at them.
"in some of these clubs, the ability to drink from a dozen to thirty glasses of beer at a sitting is a necessary qualification for admission. but these beastly and brutal tendencies belong, i repeat, to a minority of the students."
after the lecture, the party started for the castle, shuffles riding with the earl's family, and paul with the arbuckles, while the rest walked. heidelberg castle has the reputation of being one of the most imposing and interesting ruins in europe. the grounds are quite extensive, and full of curious objects. the students wandered through the halls and subterranean vaults till they came to the famous tun, which is thirty-six feet long, and twenty-four feet high, having a capacity of eight hundred hogsheads. it was employed to contain the wine of the vineyards; but it has not been used during the last hundred years. a run to the königstuhl, or king's seat,—a high hill behind the castle, which commands a magnificent view of the valleys of the neckar and the rhine, and of the mountains in the vicinity,—finished the work of the week.
as the next day was sunday, the party remained at heidelberg, and attended church at the english chapel in the forenoon. in the afternoon they visited the church of the holy ghost, which has a partition through the entire length of it, dividing it into two equal parts, one of which is used by the catholics, and the other by the protestants. services in both take place at the same time.
on monday morning the excursionists, including the earl's party, proceeded to darmstadt. when lady feodora had taken a back seat next to the window, in a compartment of the railway carriage, she insisted that shuffles should have the seat opposite, much to the disgust of sir william, who usually occupied that position. in fact, he was angry, and did not take much pains to conceal his ill-will. it is doubtful whether shuffles understood the matter, but the young lady was very strongly interested in him. she did not like the baronet, and she did like the young commander. as the latter had rendered her a signal service on lake constance, she felt justified in extending unusual attentions to him. sir william was jealous, as well he may have been; for his lady-love hardly condescended to notice him, while all her smiles were bestowed upon the gallant young seaman.
there was nothing especial to be seen in darmstadt, and after the party had walked through the principal street, and glanced at the grand ducal palace, they were ready to continue their journey to frankfurt, where they arrived in less than an hour, and repaired to the hôtel de russie for dinner. mr. drexel, one of the landlords, was especially devoted to the party, and afforded them every facility for seeing the city in the shortest possible time. the dinner was capital, and when it had been disposed of by the hungry students, they were in condition to hear professor mapps.
"darmstadt, where we spent an hour this forenoon," said the professor, "is the capital of hesse darmstadt, which consists of two divisions of territory, separated by a strip of land belonging to hesse cassel and frankfurt. it has an area of thirty-two hundred square miles,—being about two thirds of the size of connecticut—and a population of about eight hundred and fifty thousand. it is a constitutional monarchy in its government, the grand duke ludwig iii. being the sovereign. the word hesse, applied to several of the german states, indicates that they are parts of the original territory which bore that name. one of its rulers divided his country into four unequal parts, and gave them to his sons. two of the descendants of these sons dying without children, there remained only hesse cassel and hesse darmstadt. hesse homburg formerly belonged to darmstadt, but was ceded to another branch of the reigning family in 1622. it is composed of two parts; the smaller, containing forty-three square miles, and eleven thousand five hundred inhabitants, is about ten miles north of frankfurt; the other portion, having eighty-five square miles, and fourteen thousand five hundred inhabitants, is on the other side of the rhine.[4]
"frankfurt-on-the-maine, so called to distinguish it from frankfurt-on-the-oder, is a free city, and the capital of the germanic confederation. it is a little nationality by itself, having the right to make its own local laws, levy duties, and other powers belonging to a state. it is represented in the federal diet. this territory includes nine villages, besides the city proper, with a population of about seventy-five thousand. it is a very old city, and is mentioned in history in the time of charlemagne, who had a palace here. this city is the original home of the rothschilds, the great bankers, upon whom even princes wait—when they are short of money. the family are jews, who form a considerable part of the population of frankfurt. the house in which several, if not all, the prominent sons were born, is shown in the judengasse, or jews street. the laws were formerly very severe upon the israelites. they were compelled to reside in their own quarter, where the gates were closed upon them at an early hour. a regulation forbade the celebration of more than thirteen marriages among the race in the city within a year. all these stringent laws have been rescinded.
"göthe, the german poet, was born in frankfurt; and you will see his house, which contains some relics of him. luther, the reformer, also resided here for a time. the city is noted for the wealth of its merchants, and there are many magnificent private residences within its limits."
the professor finished his lecture, and the party started to see the sights to which he had alluded. the old cathedral, with its unfinished tower, was very much like many others they had seen. within its chapel all the elected emperors were crowned in front of the high altar. the town hall was the scene of the festivities which followed the election of an emperor. he was feasted in the banquet hall, where the kings and princes of his empire waited upon him at table, in token of their subservience. a whole ox was roasted in the market-place,—into which the students looked from the windows,—and the emperor ate a slice, while from a fountain flowing with wine the cup-bearer filled his flagon. the room is hung with portraits of the emperors, under most of which are placed the mottoes adopted at their coronation.
passing across to the hirschgraben, the tourists visited the house where göthe was born. over the front door is the coat of arms of the poet's father, which consists of three lyres, as if to prefigure the destiny of the genius who first saw the light within its walls. göthe's room is a garret, wherein his portrait, his autograph, and his washstand are exhibited. his statue stands near the theatre, and one of schiller in front of the guard-house. from the house of the poet, the party went to the städel museum, filled with fine pictures, mostly by dutch and german artists, which is named for its founder, a liberal banker, who gave four hundred thousand dollars to the institution, besides a collection of artistic works. from the museum, the students, after a walk of over a mile, reached the jewish quarter, glanced at the rothschild house, the synagogue, and other buildings, returning to the hôtel de russie at dark.
on the following morning the party went to homburg, nine miles distant, where they spent the rest of the day. the town is another watering-place, and has increased in popularity till it outrivals baden-baden, wiesbaden, or any other fashionable resort in germany. it has its medicinal springs, which are beneficial in a variety of diseases. the kurhaus is the most magnificent in europe, containing lofty halls, elegantly frescoed, for dancing, gambling, for restaurants and reading-rooms. as in baden-baden, the gambling monopoly is in the hands of french speculators, and the lavish expenditure upon the gardens, buildings, and other appointments is an instructive commentary on the chances which favor the visitor disposed to try his fortune.
"commodore," said ben duncan, who was now the second master of the josephine, as they met at the hôtel quatre saisons in the evening, "i have lost two hundred florins."
"what!" exclaimed paul.
"certainly, mr. duncan, you have not been gambling," added grace arbuckle, looking as sad as though she had lost a dear friend.
"i lost two hundred florins out in that dog-house," replied ben, who was the wag of the party, and a general favorite.
"what dog-house?" inquired paul.
"why, the big one—auf dem platz."
"do you mean the kursaal?" asked paul.
"mr. fetridge calls it a dog-house, in harper's hand book."
"no."
"the cur-house—what's the difference?"
"u in german is pronounced like double o. but you don't mean to say you have been gambling, ben?" added paul.
"i said i had lost two hundred florins," replied ben, with a most lugubrious expression.
"impossible!"
"i was standing near the table, in the grand gambling hell,—i beg pardon, hall,—watching the play, when i saw a russian czar, king, grand dook, poly-wog, or something of that sort, win two hundred florins at one fell swoop. now, thinks i to myself, if i should put down two hundred florins, and win, i should make two hundred florins by the operation. i didn't do it—so i'm two hundred florins out."
ben dropped his chin, and looked very sad, while grace and paul laughed heartily, perhaps more at the "face" the wag made, than at the joke he had perpetrated.
"i hope your losses will always be of this description, ben," added paul.
"probably they will be while each student is allowed only a florin a day for pocket-money," replied ben. "there is to be a grand concert in the dog-house this evening. of course we shall go!"
"certainly."
"suppose we walk down now."
"if you please; but don't call it a dog-house."
"well, it is a gambling-hole, and i don't know but it is a libel on the dog to call it so," answered ben, as they walked towards the kursaal.
most of the excursionists were headed in that direction. shuffles was with the earl's party, though, strangely enough, sir william was not at the side of lady feodora. they seated themselves in the grand apartment, and gazed with interest at the brilliant scene before them.
"where can sir william be?" said lady blankville.
"i do not know, mother," replied feodora, languidly, as though she did not care where he was.
"i haven't seen him these two hours."
"nor i," added feodora, in a tone which indicated that she did not wish to see him for two hours more.
"i will look for him, if you desire," suggested shuffles.
"o, no! do not trouble yourself," replied feodora. "perhaps he is looking at the play."
"pray, do, if you please, captain shuffles," interposed the countess.
lady feodora was too dutiful a girl to object, and the commander went to the gambling-rooms. at the roulette table he found the baronet, playing with a zeal which indicated that this was not the first time he had indulged in the baneful game. he was not staking large sums, but he was losing about three out of four times that he put down his money.
"i beg your pardon, sir william, but lady blankville is anxious to see you," whispered shuffles in his ear.
"lady blankville!" exclaimed the baronet, turning from the table as he lost his last stake, and walking towards the concert-room.
"lady blankville," repeated the captain.
"lady feodora is not anxious to see me—is she?" said sir william, bitterly.
"she did not say that she was," replied shuffles.
"no; she did not!" added the baronet, stopping suddenly, and looking his companion in the face. "will you do me the favor to walk in the garden with me?"
"while the ladies are waiting for us, it is hardly proper to be absent from them," replied shuffles, troubled by the manner of the young gentleman.
"perhaps you are right," mused sir william. "will you meet me alone at the hotel, after the ladies have retired?"
"for what purpose?" inquired shuffles, nervously.
"i have not time to explain now. will you meet me?" continued the baronet, earnestly.
"if possible, i will."
they joined the party in the concert-room. sir william was cool, and inclined to be morose. shuffles was rather disturbed by his manner, and could not help wondering for what purpose the baronet wished to meet him alone. he had not failed to see that lady feodora regarded her travelling companion, whose relations to her he could only infer, with a feeling bordering upon aversion, and that her demeanor towards him was in marked contrast with her bearing towards himself. he was afraid the proposed meeting related to this subject. while the party were listening to the enchanting music of the band, he tried to ascertain whether he had said or done anything to give offence to the baronet. it was not his fault that the lady did not like sir william, and rebelled against the relation which appeared to exist in form between them. but the captain was willing to give the baronet any explanation he might demand, and hoped that all unpleasant feelings would be removed by the interview.
after the tourists had returned to the hotel, and the ladies had gone to their rooms, shuffles walked up and down the hall till the baronet joined him. taking his arm, sir william led him to an unfrequented part of the garden, and there halted.
"captain shuffles, i believe you are a gentleman, and have the instincts of a gentleman," the young englishman began.
"i trust i have," replied shuffles, not a little agitated, for the manner of his companion was very earnest and serious.
"you have placed me under very great obligations to you. i cheerfully acknowledge them. i am willing to believe that both lady feodora and myself would have been drowned but for your plucky conduct and generous efforts in our behalf on lake constance."
"i am very glad to have served you, and i assure you i hold you to no obligations of any kind," replied shuffles. "i simply did what i regarded as my duty, which my sea life fitted me to perform."
"having acknowledged my obligations, you will permit me to add, that i think you are making a very unfair and ungenerous use of your position. after your noble conduct on the lake, i expected something like magnanimity from you. i am sorry to say i have been disappointed," continued sir william, bitterly.
"really, i do not understand you," replied the captain, amazed at the sudden turn in the style of his companion.
"is it possible that you do not comprehend my relations with lady feodora?" demanded the baronet. "let me explain, then, that we have been affianced from our childhood."
"indeed!"
"you could not help seeing that our relations were of this kind."
"i did suppose there was something of this description."
"then allow me to say again that you have made a very ungenerous use of your position."
"in what respect?"
"you have extended to lady feodora many attentions," said the baronet, becoming more and more excited.
"only ordinary courtesies."
"but such courtesies as belong to me rather than to you. i am devotedly attached to her."
"if any of my attentions were not agreeable to the lady, she had only to decline them."
"there you presume upon the position which circumstances have given you."
"if lady feodora is attached to you——"
"she is not attached to me."
"then you make a very ungenerous use of your position," retorted shuffles, rather warmly.
"what do you mean, sir?" demanded sir william.
"if your parents and hers made a bargain for her which she repudiates, i say it is ungenerous in you to use such an advantage as that bargain gives you."
"do you mean to insult me?"
"certainly not; only to speak as plainly as you have spoken. if my presence is disagreeable to the lady, i will avoid her."
"your presence is not disagreeable to her," added sir william, unable to conceal his vexation.
"then you will excuse me if i decline to treat her with the rudeness you suggest."
"i find i am mistaken in you, and i regret that you compel me to ignore the obligations under which you have placed me."
"i cheerfully absolve you from any obligations which may weigh heavily upon you. but i assure you, i have no ill-will towards you, and i shall continue to treat you with courtesy and kindness. in about a week, our ship's company will return to brest, and sail for the united states. it is not probable that i shall ever see lady feodora or you again."
"will you pledge yourself never to see her again after this week?" demanded sir william.
"i will not—certainly not," replied shuffles. "i do not purpose to interfere in any way with your relations to her. if she desires to see me, and it is possible for me to see her, i shall not deny myself that pleasure."
the baronet suddenly turned upon his heel, and walked rapidly towards the hotel. shuffles was amazed. he could not conceal from himself the truth that he was deeply interested in lady feodora, though no thought of anything beyond friendship occurred to either of them. they might or might not continue in company for another week, and then part, in all human probability, forever in this world. still, the situation was novel enough to be exciting, and he lay awake, thinking of it, for several hours that night. but in the morning sir william appeared as usual, and probably, on reflection, had decided not to do any desperate deed.
at seven o'clock the excursionists returned by train to frankfurt. it was decided then that, as wiesbaden, one of the celebrated german watering-places, was only a repetition of baden-baden and homburg, the company should proceed direct to mayence, where they arrived by nine o'clock.
