says, he was famous for wielding
the lance.]

CHAPTER XVII.

Hope, faith, and confidence are there,
For all that I esteem are near;
And yet suspicion finds its way,
And makes my hopeless mind its prey.
SCHILLER.

When the offensive man left the room, the guests looked at each other
with astonishment; they were in a state of mind similar to that of one
who sees a heavy storm arise, and expects it to burst and overwhelm
him; when, behold, it produces little more than a flash in the pan.
They thanked the man with the leather back for having driven away the
odious stranger, and inquired what he knew of him?

"I know him well," he answered; "he is a worthless, idle fellow, a
travelling doctor, who sells pills to cure the plague; extracts the
worm from dogs, and crops their ears; eases young women of thick necks;
and gives the old ones eyewater, which, instead of healing, makes them
blind. His proper name is Kahlmaueser, or baldmouse; pretending to be a
learned man, he calls himself doctor Calmus. He fastens himself upon
the great, and should one of them call him ass, he fawns upon him as
his best friend."

"But he cannot be upon good terms with the Duke," remarked the
cunning-looking man; "for he abused him in no measured terms."

"Yes, he certainly is not happy with him; and for this reason--the Duke
had a beautiful Danish sporting dog, which had run a thorn deep into
its foot. It was a great favourite of the Duke, who inquired after an
experienced man to cure it; and it so happened that this Kahlmaueser was
on the spot, and tendered his services, with a look full of
consequence. The wretch was fed every day with the best of food in the
castle of Stuttgardt, and the fare was so palatable that he remained
more than a quarter of a-year, doctoring the dog's foot. The Duke one
day called for both doctor and dog, to know and see what had been done.
The quack, it appears, talked a great deal of learned stuff, to which
the Duke paid no attention; but, upon examining the wound himself, he
found the dog's foot worse than ever. He laid hold of the doctor, tall
as he was, led him to the top of the long flight of steps, so contrived
that a horse can mount up to the second story, and threw him headlong
down. He was half dead when he arrived at the bottom, so you may
imagine that since that time, Docto