ain my friendly sentinel,
for whom I had brought up a meerschaum of a pretty pattern that I
had bought for him. "What was his name?" "Schneider." "Oh, there are
several so called among the men. Should you know him again?" "Oh
yes, indeed." And now ensued a general cry for Schneiders to present
themselves. One after another was marched up, but without any
resemblance to my friendly foe. Presently a word of command was
given, followed by a brisk rolling of drums, when all the men came
pouring out of the surrounding buildings, and formed in ranks on the
ground. "You have seen them all--all the Schneiders," said the
kindly commandant. "Ah, no! here is yet one;" and from the back
ranks was pushed and pulled and thrust and shoved, perfectly crimson
with shyness and suppressed laughter, one of the handsomest lads I
ever saw. "Is this your man?" said the commanding officer, with a
profound bow, and his face puckered up with laughing. "No," cried I
(for it wasn't), quite overcome with confusion and the general
laughter that followed the production of this last of the
Schneiders. One of the officers then said that some of the troops
had been sent elsewhere, not long after my first visit. "Ah, then,"
said the commandant, who had interested himself in my search with
considerable amusement, "your Schneider, madame, has left
Ehrenbreitstein." And so did we; I, not a little disappointed at not
having seen again the worthy man who had not bayoneted me away from
the gates, when I assailed them and him in such a frenzy.]

We overtook my sister at Mayence, or rather, I and the children remained
there, while some of our party went on to Frankfort, where she was. They
returned to Mayence in a body: ----, Adelaide, Henry, Miss Cottin, Mary
Anne Thackeray, our London friend Chorley, and the illustrious Liszt.
Travelling leisurely, as we were compelled to do on account of the
children, I missed, to my great regret, my sister's first two public
performances--a concert, and a representation of Norma, which she gave
at Frankfort, and of which everybody spoke with the greatest enthusiasm.
On the evening of the day when she joined us at Mayence, she sang at a
concert, and this was the first time that I really have heard her sing
in public; for I did not consider the concert at Stafford House a fair
test of her powers--the audience was too limited, in number a