d's daughter, too: however, that is all
settled now, and very well done. I say it was very well done on the part
of Lind. And what did you think of my part, friend Beratinsky?"

"I think you made a fool of yourself, friend Reitzei," said the other,
abruptly.

Reitzei was a vain young man, and he had been fishing for praise.

"I don't know what you mean," he said, angrily.

"What I mean I say," replied the other, with something very like cool
contempt. "I say you made a fool of yourself. When a man is drunk, he
does his best to appear sober; you, being sober, tried to appear drunk,
and made a fool of yourself."

"My friend Beratinsky," said the younger man, hotly, "you have a right
to your own opinion--every man has that; but you should take care not
to make an ass of yourself by expressing it. Do not speak of things you
know nothing about--that is my advice to you."

Beratinsky did not answer; and the two walked on in silence until they
reached the _Verein_, and entered the long, resounding hall, which was
nearly empty. But the few members who remained were making up for their
paucity of numbers by their mirth and noise. As Beratinsky and his
companion took their seats at the upper end of the table the chairman
struck his hammer violently, and commanded silence.

"Silentium, meine Herren!" he thundered out. "I have a secret to
communicate. A great honor has been done one of our members, and even
his overwhelming modesty permits it to be known at last. Our good friend
Josef Hempel has been appointed Hof-maler to the Grand-duke of ----. I
call in you to drink his health and the Grand-duke's too!"

Then there was a quick filling of glasses; a general uprising; cries of
"Hempel! Hempel!" "The Duke!" followed by a resounding chorus--

"Hoch sollen sie leben!
Hoch sollen sie leben!
Dreimal hoch!"--

that echoed away down the empty hall. Then the tumult subsided; and the
president, rising, said gravely,

"I now call on our good friend Hempel to reply to the toast, and to give
us a few remarks on the condition of art in the Grand Duchy of ----, with
some observations and reflections on the altered position of the Duchy
since the unification of our Fatherland."

In answer to this summons there rose to his feet a short old gentleman,
with a remarkably fresh complexion, silvery-white hair, and merry blue
eyes that peered through gold-rimmed spectacles. He was all smiles and
blushes; and the longe