ristocrat. With us the line of nobility is
so distinct and broad, that no human being can, unless the accident of
birth have placed him on the sunny side of the hedge, overstep it. But
this is not all. The nobles not only engross all places of trust, and
profit, and honour, but they do not bear their just proportion in the
burdens of the state. They pay hardly any taxes; whereas we of the
cannaille are very heavily laden with them."

I saw from the tone of my fellow-traveller's discourse that he was
exceedingly discontented, and I ventured to ask whether the sentiments
to which he gave utterance, were generally entertained in Bohemia?

"By all orders and degrees of men," was his answer. "Even the nobles
are dissatisfied, because the king holds his court at Vienna; and for
the rest of us, you may depend upon it that we feel our degradation
acutely."

"If it be as you represent," said I, "how comes it that there never
occurs anything like an attempt to wrest by force from the government
what it will not concede to reason?"

We were passing through a small town, or rather village, at the moment,
and my companion bid me look out. I did so, and saw two or three groups
of cuirassiers lounging about the street.

"These are the emperor's sureties for our good behaviour," observed he,
with a smile; "twelve or fourteen thousand men at Prague,--three or
four thousand at Koeniggratz,--a regiment at Tabor,--and squadrons
scattered, as you see, through all the villages. Our poor peasants
would hardly think of uttering a complaint in such a presence; and our
nobles don't care to argue points with men who wear the sword."

I could only shrug up my shoulders, for I saw that he was, at least, so
far in the right, that troops swarmed everywhere; and, without
encouraging him to brood over his own misfortunes, whether real or
imaginary, I was content to thank heaven that I had myself been born in
a land where such grounds of complaint are unknown.

We stopped to dine at Leutomischl, a small, but prettily-situated town,
with a schloss, or chateau, of which the style of architecture is
exceedingly striking. It occupies the brow of a rising ground, just
over the principal street; and with its profusion of minarets, reminded
us rather of some Oriental palace, than of the residence of a Bohemian
noble. But we had no time to examine it in detail; for even a German
extra post has its appointed season of movement; and our conducteur,
though