igzagged
the plains, connecting the dotted villages. These roads were edged with
fruit-trees--apple and cherry. The apples were still hard, green,
polished balls, but the berries were at their prime. And everywhere men
were aloft on ladders, gathering the fruit for market. For the sum of
ten pfennigs, Maurice could get his hat filled, and, by the roadside,
they would sit down to make a second breakfast off black, luscious
cherries, which stained the lips a bluish purple. When it grew too hot
for the open roads, they descended the steep, wooded back of the bill,
to the romantic little town of Wechselburg at its base. Here, a massive
bridge of reddish-yellow stone spanned the winding, slate-grey Mulde; a
sombre, many-windowed castle of the same stone as the bridge looked out
over a wall of magnificent chestnuts.

On returning from these, and various other excursions, they were
pleasantly tired and hungry. After supper, they sat upstairs by the
window in her room, Louise in the big chair, Maurice at her feet, and
there watched the darkness come down, over the tops of the trees.

Somewhat later in the month, the fancy took her to go to a place called
Amerika. Maurice consulted the landlord about the distance. Their
original plan of taking the train a part of the way was, however,
abandoned when the morning came; for it was an uncommonly lovely day,
and a fresh breeze was blowing. So, having scrambled down to
Wechselburg again, they struck out on the flat, and began their walk.
The whole day lay before them; they were bound to no fixed hours; and,
throughout the morning, they made frequent halts, to gather the wild
raspberries that grew by the roadside. Having passed under a great
railway viaduct, which dominated the landscape, they stopped at a
village inn, to rest and drink coffee. About two o'clock, they came to
Rochsburg, and finally arrived, towards the middle of the afternoon, at
the picturesque restaurant that bore the name, of Amerika. Here they
dined. Afterwards, they returned to Rochsburg, but much less
buoyantly--for Louise was growing footsore--paid a bridge-toll, were
shown through the castle, and, at sunset, found themselves on the
little railway-station, waiting for an overdue train. The restaurant in
which they sat, was a kind of shed, roofed by a covering of Virginia
creeper; the station stood on an eminence; the plains stretched before
them, as far as they could see; the evening sky was an unbroken sheet