ple, was quite out of her
senses with delight, and forgot everything, even to shut her mouth,
which she had opened to emit a cry of joy.

The coach and eight drew up before Herr Dapsul. Riders jumped from
their horses, pages and attendants came hurrying forward, and the
personage who was now lifted down the steps of the coach on their arms
was none other than the Herr Baron Porphyrio von Ockerodastes,
otherwise known as Cordovanspitz. Inasmuch as regarded his figure, the
Herr Baron was far from comparable to the Apollo of Belvedere, or even
the Dying Gladiator. For, besides the circumstances that he was
scarcely three feet high, one-third of his small body consisted of his
evidently too large and broad head, which was, moreover, adorned by a
tremendously long Roman nose and a pair of great round projecting
eyes. And as his body was disproportionately long for his height,
there was nothing left for his legs and feet to occupy but some four
inches or so. This small space was made the most of, however,
for the little Baron's feet were the neatest and prettiest little
things ever beheld. No doubt they seemed to be scarcely strong enough
to support the large, important head. For the Baron's gait was somewhat
tottery and uncertain, and he even toppled over altogether pretty
frequently, but got up upon his feet immediately, after the manner of a
jack-in-the-box. So that this toppling over had a considerable
resemblance to some rather eccentric dancing step more than to anything
else one could compare it to. He had on a close-fitting suit of some
shining gold fabric, and a headdress, which was almost like a crown,
with an enormous plume of green feathers in it.

As soon as the Baron had alighted on the ground, he hastened up to Herr
Dapsul von Zabelthau, took hold of both his hands, swung himself up to
his neck, and cried out, in a voice wonderfully more powerful than his
shortness of stature would have led one to expect, "Oh, my Dapsul von
Zabelthau, my most beloved father!" He then lowered himself down from
Herr Dapsul's neck with the same deftness of skill with which he
had climbed up to it, sprang, or rather slung himself, to Fraeulein
Aennchen, took that hand of hers which had the ring on it, covered
it with loud resounding kisses, and cried out in the same almost
thundering voice as before, "Oh, my loveliest Fraeulein Anna von
Zabelthau, my most beloved bride-elect!"

He then clapped his hands, and immediately that noi