" over the heads of himself and
Petrea Frank. Petrea seemed to be carrying something under her cloak,
laughed and talked, and she and the Assessor seemed to be very much
pleased with each other. Alas! this satisfaction did not endure long;
on the steps of the front-door Petrea accidentally trod on the dangling
lace of her boot, made a false step, and fell. A large paper case of
confectionery suddenly proceeded from under the "court-preacher," and
almond-wreaths, "brown sugar-candy, and iced fruits rolled in all
directions. Even amid the shock and the confusion of the first moment it
was with difficulty that Petrea restrained a loud laugh from bursting
forth when she saw the amazement of the Assessor, and the leaps which he
made, as he saw the confections hopping down the steps towards the
gutter. It was the Assessor's own tribute to the festival of the day
which was thus unluckily dispersed abroad.

"Yes, indeed, if there were no ladies," said the Assessor, vexed, "one
should be able to accomplish something in this world. But now they must
be coming and helping, and on that account things always go topsy-turvy.
'Let me only do it--let me only manage it,' say they; and they manage
and make it, so that----'Did one ever see anything so foolish!--To fall
over your foot-lace!'--but women have order in nothing; and yet people
set up such to govern kingdoms!--To govern kingdoms!!! I would ask
nothing more from them than that they should govern their feet, and keep
their boot and shoe strings tied. But from the queen down to the
charwoman, there is not a woman in this world who knows how to fasten
her boot-lace!"

Such was the philippic of Jeremias Munter, as he came into the room with
Petrea, and saw, after the great shipwreck, that which remained of the
confectionery. Petrea's excuses, and her prayers for forgiveness, could
not soften his anger. True it is, that an unfortunate disposition to
laugh, which overcame her, gave to all her professions of distress a
very doubtful appearance. Her distress, however, for all that, was real;
and when Eva came, and said, with a beseeching, flattering voice, "Dear
uncle, do not be angry any longer; poor Petrea is really quite cast
down--besides which she really has hurt her knee," the good man replied
with a very different voice:

"But has she, indeed? But why are people so clumsy--so given to tripping
and stumbling, that one----"

"One can get some more confections at any time," said