o lead them astray in the forest. This amused me
mightily, for the lighter it grew the greater grew my courage, until
we emerged upon a fine, spacious opening. Here I looked about me quite
savagely, and whistled once or twice through my fingers, as scoundrels
always do when they wish to signal one another.

"Halt!" exclaimed one of the horsemen, so suddenly that I jumped. When
I looked round I saw that both had alighted and had tied their horses
to a tree. One of them came up to me rapidly, stared me full in the
face, and then burst into a fit of immoderate laughter. I must confess
this senseless merriment irritated me. But he said, "Why, it is
actually the gardener--I should say the Receiver, from the castle!"

I stared at him in turn, but could not remember who he was; indeed, I
should have had enough to do to recognize all the young gentlemen who
came and went at the castle. He kept up an eternal laughter, however,
declaring, "This is magnificent! You're taking a holiday, I see;
we are just in want of a servant; stay with us and you will have a
perpetual holiday." I was dumbfounded, and said at last that I was
just on my way to visit Italy. "Italy?" the stranger rejoined. "That
is just where we wish to go!" "Ah, if that be so!" I exclaimed, and,
taking out my fiddle, I tuned up so that all the birds in the
wood awaked. The young fellow immediately threw his arm around his
companion, and they waltzed about the meadow like mad.

Suddenly they stood still. "By heavens," exclaimed one, "I can see the
church-tower of B.! We shall soon be there." He took out his watch and
made it repeat, then shook his head, and made the watch strike again.
"No," he said, "it will not do; we should arrive too early, and that
might be very bad."

Then they brought out from their saddle-bags cakes, cutlets, and
bottles of wine, spread a gay cloth on the grass, stretched themselves
beside it, and feasted to their hearts' content, sharing all
generously with me, which I greatly enjoyed, seeing that for some days
I had not had over and above enough to eat. "And let me tell you,"
one of them said to me--"but you do not know us yet?" I shook my head.
"Then let me tell you. I am the painter Lionardo, and my friend here
is a painter also, called Guido."

I could see the two painters more clearly in the dawning morning. Herr
Lionardo was tall, brown, and slender, with merry, ardent eyes. The
other was much younger, smaller, and more delicate, d