Year: 1859

CONCLUDED.


In this way the nephew of the stranger came
before long, to be held in high favor in the city
and environs No one could recall ever having
seen young man like him in Grunwiesel be-
fore; and he was, indeed, the strangest appari-
tion which had ever visited their borders No
one could accuse him of cultivation, of any kind
except, perhaps, little dancing. Latin and
Greek were both Greek to him. At a round
game at the burgomaster's house, it once fell to
his lot to be obliged to write something, and it
was found that he could not even sign his name.
In geography he made the most stupendous
blunders; for he made no hesitation in locating
German city in France, or Danish one in
Poland. lie had read nothing; he had studied
nothing; and the priest often shook his head
significantly over the dreadful ignorance of the
young gentleman. Still, in spite of this, every
thing he said and did was held to be excellent !;
for he was impudent enough to insist always on
being right, and the last words of every remark
he made were: 81 understand this much better
than you'


werd the of s 6 G gG SSa hEye s.
perseveringly, none so vigorously as he no one
made such bold, such graceful jumps. His un-
Gle dressed him for such occasions in the new
est and handsomest fashions; and, although it
was impossible to make his clothes fit, yet every
body considered his dress charming The gen
tlemen, to be sure, took offence, at these balls,
at the new style which he introduced. Hithcr-
to the burgomaster had always opened the ball
in person, and the most highly born young men
exercised the right of regulating the rest Of the
dances but since the young Englishman's ar
rival, a total change had been brought about.
He would seize the prettiest girl by the hand
without leave or license take his place with her
in the figure, manage everything precisely as he
pleased, and constitute himself, without cere-
mony, lord, master, and king of the ball But
as the ladies found these manners extremely ele
giant, the young men dared not venture on re-
sistance, and the eccentric nephew retained un-
opposed his self-assumed dignity and rank.


Such was the behavior adopted by the
nephew at balls and parties in Grunwiesel. As
is too often the case in other matters, bad hab-
its come into vogue much easier than good ones,
and a new and striking fashion, especially if it
be ridiculous, has ever something in it highly
attractive for the young, who have not yet form
ed an accurate or sensible judgment Of them
selves and the world. SO il was in Grunwiese
with the nephew and his extraordinary manners
For, when the younger world perceived that the
young stranger admiration than he
incurred rebuke for his awkward habits. HE
loud laughter, and his insoent answers to his
seniors, and that these passed merely as eyi-
dences of his spiritual nature, they thought to
themselves: "Nothing is easier than to make
myself exactly such another spiritual brute."-
They had formerly been industrious, clever
youths; but now they thought "Of what use
is learning, when ignorance carries man so
much further P" So, abandoning their books,
they spent their time in dissipation on the
streets.


Till now, the Grunwiesel young men had en-
farfainab a 1iSlika m n ronul, .ni xr,,l
gar demeanor; now they sang all sorts of vile
songs, smoked huge pipes of tobacco, and spent
much time in low pot-houses, for with them they
resembled the young EnglshmaR At home
or on visit, they lay down in boots and spurs
on the ottomans; at assemblies they tilted their
chairs, or put both elbows on the table. In
vain their older friends represented to them how
foolish, how disgraceful this behavior was they
referred to the shining example of the nephew.
1t was said to them, in vain, that a certain de-
gree of rudeness must be forgiven in the neph-
ew, in consideration of his English birth the
young Grunwieselonans declared that they had
as good a right as the best Englishman in the
world to be vulgar in spiritual way. In short,
it was a general complaint that gentlemanly
breeding and behavior had been entirely eradi-
Gated from Grunwiesel by the evil example of
the young stranger.


But the pleasure of the young men, in their
rude and reckless life, was of short duration, for
the following incident changed the whole aspect
of affairs. A great concert was resolved upon,
to close the winter amusements, to be given
partly by the regular city musicians, partly by
skillful amateurs of Grunwiesel. The burgo-
master played the violoncello, the doctor the
bassoon, with great skill, the apothecary, though
he had no ear, blew the flute, several young la
dies of the city had studied arias, and every pre-
liminary had been carefully arranged. The old
stranger expressed the opinion, that, though
doubtless the concert would be admirable as it
was, he noticed that no duet was included in the
programme, and that duet was, as every one
knew, necessary element of every concert
This opinion occasioned good deal of embar-
rassment The bufgomasters daughter, to be
sure, sang like nightingale but where was
the gentleman who could sing duet with her P
They thought, at last, of falling back on the or
ganist, who had sung an excellent bass in for
mer days but the stranger announced that all