ooden staircase leading from the
street into the cellar, which formed the dining-room of the eating-house.

The great Easter fair had just commenced as I reached Leipsic, and with
its termination came my stay in the city also to an end. The work was
exhausted. I had luxuriated in a few brilliants and the old Polish
rose-diamonds, and had descended to mounting a monstrous meerschaum pipe
in silver. But now there was nothing left but the turquoises and
Bohemian garnets, set in millegriffes, and the Herr shook his head, and
decided that they would not pay; so I received notice to leave in a
fortnight. During this period of six weeks, my receipts in wages were
six-and-twenty Prussian dollars, or three pounds eighteen shillings,
which would allow an average of eleven shillings per week with board and
lodging. Of expenses incurred there were: for Guild and police,
eightpence; and clothing and washing, fourteen shillings. The Leipsicers
have an ugly trick of doubling the prices of the theatre during the fair
time, so that my expenditure on that head was _nil_. My trunk, forwarded
from Hamburg in fourteen days, and weighing seventy pounds, cost three
shillings in the transit, including sixpence for city toll.

After a vain search for further employment in Leipsic, and a
disappointment of obtaining a situation in Altenburg, there appeared
nothing before me but a toilsome march through Dresden to Vienna, with
little hope of finding occupation by the way, and scarcely more than
twenty shillings in my pocket. At this crisis there came a welcome
letter from Alcibiade, with the tidings that certain employment, for at
least two months, awaited me in Berlin. This was pleasant news indeed;
and the Herr entered so fully into the necessity of seizing this golden
opportunity, that he kindly released me from a day's labor, that I might
have full time to make my preparations. One would naturally suppose that
a few hours would suffice to pack my little stores and to depart; but
there were the Guild regulations to fulfil, the railway officials to be
waited on, and the police to satisfy. The last-named gentlemen would not
consent to _vise_ my passport till I should produce my railway ticket, as
a proof of my intention to go; while the railway officials doubted the
propriety of issuing a ticket till I had received the authority of the
police for my departure. Here was a case of daggers--a dead lock; but
the railway was obliged to ced