cities
nearer to each other than fifty miles; but then to be sure each will be
a city indeed, containing at least eight hundred thousand inhabitants,
without counting the suburbs. The culture which the present time
demands of men, is not possible to be attained without great means and
the arts and sciences can be properly fostered only in the great
centres of commerce. I heard a lecture delivered before our society,"
he continued, "which will soon appear in print. I will send you a copy
as soon as it is published."

"And where's the bread and meat for the great cities to come from, dear
father?" asked Franzelius, who had been silently listening, and
meantime making great havoc in these two articles, which his wife had
set before him.

"That's the business of the railroads," replied the shoemaker, without
the slightest embarrassment. "The country people, or rather the members
of the great rural industrial societies, will go out every morning
through the open country, till the fields, attend to the cattle, and
return by rail in the evening to the city, which they'll reach in time
to witness William Tell or hear Lucca. Why should these worthy people
be forever excluded from all education and culture, merely because
hitherto no theatres, concerts, and universities have existed in the
villages?"

"They'll have to stay in the country over night very often during the
haying season," Franzelius dryly remarked.

The old man cast a side glance at him, to see if he were in jest or
earnest, but no satirical lines were to be discovered in his
son-in-law's open, honest face. Nevertheless the old apostle of
progress, evidently irritated, relapsed into silence, and it was long
ere Leah could succeed in restoring him to his former cheerful mood.
She told him of Heinrich Mohr's happy marriage and fatherly pride, and
asked about Reginchen's brother, who was also married and had obtained
an excellent position in Russia, as engineer of a new railroad. At
intervals her eyes sometimes met those of the little fair-haired wife,
twinkling merrily with joy over the secret so recently disclosed, as if
they wanted to ask: "what's all this chatter to the great news we both
know of?"

When the clock struck nine, in spite of Reginchen's remonstrances, Leah
prepared for her departure. She knew that the members of the household
retired early and rose betimes. When she was about to shake hands with
Herr Feyertag also, he declared he would not be r