heerful
voice wishing us "Good-night and sweet repose" through the door.
Immediately, believing it to be the paechter's moidel, a young lady
usually engaged in cutting hay, one of the party rashly invited the
voice to enter--an invitation instantly accepted in the most perfect
good faith by either a mad woman or a tramp in a big, flapping straw
hat, who seated herself in the golden light of the lantern, adding
perhaps to the breadth and freedom of this Rembrandt picture, but
certainly not to its ease. Ravenously consuming some cake, she
attacked us with a continuous battery of God bless yous! Moidel,
however, was up to the occasion, and it was not long ere she managed
to get the unacceptable visitor outside the door, we begging her
to bolt and bar it well, for after this call we were afraid of more
lurking intruders. Moidel, however, bade us have no fears. The
woman was neither cracked nor a Welscher: she was only a very poor
_Bachernthalerin_, whose hut was generally under water. It was
accessible now, however, and the poor soul had been round begging milk
at the senner-huts.

CHAPTER X.

Life in the mountains was not half so ideal as we once foolishly
might have imagined. Still, the visit thither had surpassed our
expectations, and it was with no little regret that we bade farewell
to the familiar barn the following morning. We settled a bill with the
paechter at parting, including the dinner given to the knowing Ignaz.
It amounted to the sum of one gulden. Who would not stay up at an Olm?

Again we gave the day to the ten-mile walk, now a steep but pleasant
descent, choosing the village of Rein as our first halting-place. It
was still early, a lovely autumn morning, the mountains rising in all
their impressive majesty, but for a time all our powers of admiration
and enjoyment were suddenly marred by the sight of meek sheep led to
the shambles at the very window.

We would have hurried on, if we could, without stopping, but we had
rashly promised to write our names in the important visitors' book,
besides paying a small bill for wine. The landlord could not at all
perceive why, as meat had to be eaten, any one could object to a
preliminary exhibition, especially when the butcher could only make
his rounds at stated times, and it was so convenient by the kitchen
door. Indeed, so deadened in delicate perceptions were these people
that the landlord observing a rare plant in one of our hands, he
actually cal