them.

There was life in the youth; his eyes sparkled, his aim was true. Good
luck gives courage, and Rudy had courage at all times; he soon had a
large circle of friends around him, they praised him, they did homage
to him, and Babette had almost entirely left his thoughts. At that
moment a heavy hand struck him on the shoulder, and a gruff voice
addressed him in the French tongue:

"You are from Canton Valais?"

Rudy turned around. A stout person, with a red, contented countenance,
stood by him and that was the rich miller of Bex. He covered with his
wide body, the slight pretty Babette, who however, soon peeped out
with her beaming dark eyes. The rich peasant became consequential
because the hunter from his canton had made the best shot and was the
honoured one. Rudy was certainly a favourite of fortune, that, for
which he had journeyed thither and almost forgotten had sought him.

When one meets a countryman far from one's home, why then one knows
one another, and speaks together. Rudy was the first at the shooting
festival and the miller was the first at Bex, through his money and
mill, and so the two men pressed each other's hands: this they had
never done before. Babette also, gave Rudy her little hand and he
pressed her's in return and looked at her, so--that she became quite
red.

The miller told of the long journey which they had made here, of the
many large towns which they had seen--that was a real journey; they
had come in the steam-boat and had been driven by post and rail!

"I came by the short road," said Rudy, "I came over the mountains;
there is no path so high, that one can not reach it!"

"But one can break one's neck," said the miller, "you look as though
you would do so some day, you are so daring!"

"One does not fall, when one does not think of it!" said Rudy.

And the miller's family in Interlaken, with whom the miller and
Babette were staying, begged Rudy to pay them a visit, for he was from
the same canton as their relations.

These were glad tidings for Rudy, fortune smiled upon him, as it
always does on those that rely upon themselves and think upon the
saying: "Our Lord gives us nuts, but he does not crack them for us!"
Rudy made himself quite at home with the miller's relations; they
drank the health of the best marksman. Babette knocked her glass
against his and Rudy gave thanks for the honour shown him.

In the evening, they all walked under the walnut trees, in front of
th