itty say to some one inside. "So
you are sure it is the same?"

"Of course it is," said the person addressed, whose voice he recognised
as belonging to Little Red Meyer, a Jewish peddler. "Why, they were
always seen together: for my part, I don't see how he ever made up his
mind to marry anybody else."

"Well," said Kitty, laughingly, "I only want to make him stare a little
on our wedding-day. So you won't disappoint me, will you?"

"I'll do it as sure as I want to make a hundred thousand florins."

"But Hansgeorge mustn't hear a word about it."

"Mum's the word," said Little Red Meyer, and took his leave.

Hansgeorge came in rather sheepishly, being ashamed to confess that he
had been listening. But when they sat closely side by side, he said,
"Kitty, don't let them put any nonsense into your head: it's no such
thing. They once used to say that I was courting the maid at the Eagle,
who is now in Rothweil: don't you believe a bit of it. I wasn't
confirmed then: it was nothing but child's-play."

Kitty pretended to lay great stress on this matter, and put Hansgeorge
to a world of trouble to clear himself. In the evening he did his best
to pump the whole secret out of Little Red Meyer; but all in vain: his
word was "mum."

Hansgeorge had many things to go through with yet, and, in a manner, to
run the gauntlet of the whole village. On the Sunday before the
wedding, he, as well as his "playmate" Fidele, adorned their hats and
left arms with red ribbons, and went, thus accoutred, from house to
house, the groom that was to be repeating the following speech at
every call:--"I want you to come to the wedding on Tuesday, at the
Eagle. If we can do the same for you, we will. Be sure to come. Don't
forget. Be sure to come." Thereupon the housewife invariably opened the
table-drawer and brought out a loaf of bread and a knife, saying,
"There! have some bread." Then the intended groom was expected to cut a
piece from the loaf and take it with him. The loss of his forefinger
made Hansgeorge rather awkward at this operation; and many would hurt
his feelings unintentionally by saying, "Why, Hansgeorge, you can't cut
the bread. You oughtn't to get married: you are unfit for service."

Hansgeorge rejoiced greatly when this ordeal was over.

[Illustration: The wedding was celebrated with singing and rejoicing.]

The wedding was celebrated with singing and rejoicing, although there
was no shooting, as it had been strictly forb