s uncle, together with a small company
of other visitors who arrived at the same time, all over it. It would be
impossible to describe it, there were so many curious courts, and
towers, and winding passage ways, and little gardens, and terraces, all
built in a sort of nest among the rocks, of the most irregular and
wildest character.

The rooms were all beautifully finished and furnished, and they were
full of old relics of feudal times. The floors were of polished oak, and
the visitors, when walking over them, wore over their boots and shoes
great slippers made of felt, which were provided there for the purpose.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER X.

ROLLO'S LETTER.

At one place where Mr. George and Rollo stopped to spend a night, Rollo
wrote a letter to Jenny. It was as follows:--

ST. GOAR ON THE RHINE.}
_Friday Evening._}

DEAR JENNY: We have got into a very lonely place. I did not know there
was such a lonely place on the Rhine. The name of it is St. Goar; but
they pronounce it St. _Gwar_. The river is shut in closely by the
mountains on both sides, and also above and below; so that it seems as
if we were in a very deep valley, with a pond of water in the bottom of
it.

Away across the river is a long row of white houses, crowded in between
the edge of the water and the mountain. On the mountain above is an old
ruined castle, called the Cat. There is another old ruin a few miles
below, called the Mouse. I can see both of these ruins from my windows.

There is a little town on this side of the village too. We went out this
morning to see it. It is very small, and the streets are very narrow. We
came to the queerest old church you ever saw. It was all entangled up
with other buildings, and there were so many arches, and flights of
steps, and various courts all around it, that it was a long time before
we could find out where the door was.

While we were looking about, a little girl came up and asked us
something. We supposed she asked us whether we wished to see the church;
so we said _Ja_, and then she ran away. Presently we saw a boy coming
along, and he asked us something, and we said _Ja_; and then _he_ ran
away. We did not know what they meant by going away; but the fact was,
they went to find some men who kept the keys. It seems there are two men
who keep keys, and the girl went for one and the boy for the othe