friend," shouted the traveller to the farmer, who was
walking by the side of the cart, "is this the right road to Immensee?"

"Yes, straight on," answered the man touching his slouch hat.

"Is it still far off?"

"You are close to the place, sir. In less time than it takes to smoke
half a pipe of tobacco you'll be at the lake side, and the manor is
hard by."

The farmer passed on while the other quickened his pace as he went
along under the trees. After a quarter of an hour's walk the shade to
the left of him suddenly came to an end; the road led along a steep
slope from which the ancient oaks growing below hardly reared their
topmost branches.

Away over their crests opened out a broad, sunny landscape. Far below
lay the peaceful, dark-blue lake, almost entirely surrounded by green
sun-lit woods, save where on one spot they divided and afforded an
extensive view until it closed in the distant blue mountains.

Straight opposite, in the middle of all this forest verdure, there lay
a patch of white, like driven snow. This was an expanse of blossoming
fruit-trees, and out of them, up on the high lake shore, rose the
manor-house, shining white, with tiles of red. A stork flew up from
the chimney, and circled slowly above the waters.

"Immensee!" exclaimed the traveller.

It almost seemed as if he had now reached the end of his journey, for
he stood motionless, looking out over the tops of the trees at his
feet, and gazing at the farther shore, where the reflection of the
manor-house floated, rocking gently, on the bosom of the water. Then
he suddenly started on his way again.

His road now led almost steeply down the mountain-side, so that the
trees that had once stood below him again gave him their shade, but at
the same time cut off from him the view of the lake, which only now
and then peeped out between the gaps in the branches.

Soon the way went gently upwards again, and to left and right the
woods disappeared, yielding place to vine-clad hills stretching along
the pathway; while on either side stood fruit-trees in blossom, filled
with the hum of the bees as they busily pried into the blossoms. A
tall man wearing a brown overcoat advanced to meet the traveller. When
he had almost come up to him, he waved his cap and cried out in a loud
voice:

"Welcome, welcome, brother Reinhard! Welcome to my Immensee estate!"

"God's greeting to you[4], Eric, and thank you for
your welcome," replied the other.

[4]